Tales from the Mew Institute
by Zephyrus Anemoi Fiction
Summary: Sequal to Tokyo Mew Mew: Breaking New Boundries. ON HIATUS!
1. Chapter 1

The long awaited sequal has arrived!!!

That's right, a week after the ending of one of the most epic Tokyo Mew Mew stories, come Tales from the Mew Institute. Though be warned. DO NOT try and read this fic, if you haven't read Breaking New Boundaries.

* * *

The silent dawn was shattered by the subtle chirping of the sparrows and the cooing of the pigeons in the small neighborhood. While New York was the City That Never Sleeps, something about the brisk, early autumn morning begged for warm blankets and the legendary "five more minutes." But all that changed with the obnoxious bleeping of the side table alarm.

"Someone shoot me," he moaned, smashing his fist down onto the clock. It groaned and gave way, its outer plastic shell cracking in several places. "Damn!" the boy chuckled as he lobbed his old alarm over his head, into the garbage can by the door. "'Bout time that thing bit the dust." He sighed, heaving himself out of bed.

The rest of the room was quiet, broken only by the snores of several other sleeping kids. They tossed and turned, wrapping themselves up countless times in their bed coverings. Grabbing a pile of clothes and a knapsack, the awake boy tiptoed out of the room, and closed the door behind him.

"HAWKEYE!" he suddenly shouted, as he began running across the landing. A loud barking signaled his companion's presence as the boy darted into the bathroom [Don't use the same sentence construction two sentences in a row]. After completing his normal morning routines, the boy, still clutching his knapsack, slid down the banister, fell off halfway down and tumbled the rest of the way down the carpeted stairs.

He landed in a heap at the bottom, lying on his stomach and unsure of what had just happened. However, more barking brought him back to his senses.

"Hey Hawkeye, ya mutt," the boy shouted, picking himself up. "Get over here!"

"Daniel," a voice called in from the adjacent kitchen. "How many times to I have to tell you, don't slide down the railing!"

"A lot?" he replied as he entered the kitchen, only to be tackled by a furry mass. "Hawkeye, get off me!" he laughed, as the puppy's wet tongue played over his face.

"Looks like you don't need to worry about a shower today," another, masculine voice called out.

"Like I was going to take one anyway Aoyama-san," the boy, Daniel commented, picking up the golden retriever puppy, and putting him against his shoulder.

Later that afternoon saw the same woman from before fussing over Daniel as he gathered up his stuff, which had been scattered all over the house.

"Do you have everything?" she asked

"The luggage was picked up yesterday, Liz." Daniel injected.

"Still, what about--"

"Whatever it is, I probably have it," Daniel sighed, as he made his way towards the front door, still carrying the puppy.

"And are you SURE you want to bring Benny?"

"His name's Hawkeye," he responded, placing said puppy in the top most compartment of his knapsack, where the dog's head poked out happily. Suddenly, Liz pulled him into a hug.

"I know we do this every year, but it never gets any easier."

"How many of us have you two put through The Mew Institute?" Daniel asked.

"You'll be the thirty-third."

"Wow, there were that many Mew orphans?"

Liz nodded sadly.

"Now remember, don't call Jason by his first name, e-mail us at LEAST twice a week, and if you get lonely, remember Ame's office hours!" Liz called, as Daniel ran towards the door.

"I know I'm forgetting something," he whispered to himself. Hawkeye, still in his bag, barked, and nudged the side of Daniel's head. "Oh yeah!" Daniel snatched a skateboard, which was lying against the wall.

"And don't forget to wear your helmet!" Liz called out after him.

"Elizabeth-kun, you need to relax." Aoyama wrapped his arms around her.

"I know, but he's the closest thing we have to a son."

"We've still got six more," Aoyama whispered in her ear.

"I know, honey, I know."

()()()

The hyped youth flew down the cement sidewalk, perched on his skateboard, leaning back and forth to avoid the cracks and bumps in the sidewalk.

"Hawkeye, the day's finally come," Daniel informed his furry companion, whose head was still hanging from his knapsack. "We're headin' off to the Mew Institute, and stuff's FINALLY gonna start happening."

Hawkeye buried his head into the bag for a sec and nudged Daniel on the cheek, something clamped in his teeth. "Oh, nearly forgot about this!" he exclaimed, taking the grey, cotton flat cap from the dog, and putting it on his head. "Who knows, maybe we might get to go to Japan?"

The boy and his dog arrived at their destination. A long Greyhound bus was parked on the side of the street. Outside, dozens of families and kids, almost all Daniel's age, were departing. Hugs, kisses, tears and promises were being exchanged, as the future students began to board. Daniel felt a quick pang of regret, instantly subdued by a rush of adrenaline, as he dramatically leapt over a pile of suitcases, landing perfectly on the other side.

"Ten points!" someone called out.

"Hey Jack, what's up?!"

A middle-aged man approached Daniel, who greeted him like an older brother.

"Just pickin' up the exchanges." Daniel looked past him, watching a parade of kids of all ethnicities board the bus.

"Wow, quite a load this year."

"So," Jack sighed, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You're boarding this year, right?" he asked. Daniel nodded, as Hawkeye barked in happy agreement. "And this mutt's comin' with?" he asked in surprise, patting the affectionate dog on the head.

"You know me and Hawk are inseparable."

The bus honked three times. "Gotta go! See you at Christmas!" Daniel called, dismounting his skateboard, and boarding the bus. "Say bye to Adam and Kyra for me!"

"I will!" Jack called back. With a hiss, the bus doors closed, and the massive vehicle pulled away from the sidewalk.

Onboard, Daniel elbowed his way through the crowd of eager teenagers, looking for a seat. Hawkeye ducked his head into the bag, to avoid being glomped for his apparent cuteness.

"Don't worry, Hawk," Daniel whispered. "Soon as we sit down, I'll give you breakfast." Slowly, he maneuvered his way through the excited crowd, finally coming to rest at the back. Sighing, he placed his bag between his knees, unzipped it all the way, and allowed Hawkeye to jump out onto his lap. "I know you're hungry, Hawk," Daniel sighed, digging into his bag even further. He pulled out two Tupperware containers. One he pried open and placed back down in the bag. To which, Hawkeye barked loudly, and dug in greatly. The other, Daniel pried open, and slowly started eating, savoring every bite.

"Some reason," Daniel reasoned, in between bites. "Liz's beef stew tastes even better three days old." Hawkeye barked in agreement, his nose and face covered in thick gravy.

"That's a pretty smart dog," someone commented. Daniel turned his head, and discovered the origin of the voice. A boy, roughly his own age, was sitting across from him.

"I trained him myself," Daniel replied. "Even though I only got him a month ago."

"For a month old, he's pretty smart," the new boy commented, putting a bookmark between the pages of his book.

"I know. I'm Daniel." He introduced, extending his hand across the aisle.

"I'm Sean. Sean Alex."

"So, whatchya readin?" Daniel asked, leaning across the aisle to take a peek at the book's cover.

"Robert Louis Stevenson's _The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde_."

"I've never heard of it," he replied, leaning back into his seat.

"It's a really old book, nearly a hundred and fifty years, but it's an incredible story."

Sean then launched into a vivid description of the short novel, and its representation of free will.

"Wow, you talk a lot." Daniel commented.

Sean shrugged. "I'm smart, and I talk about what I like. There's nothing changing that." Daniel nodded solemnly, respecting Sean's knowledge, and comfort with himself.

"Everyone shut up!" someone from up front shouted. Daniel immediately sat up at the voice.

"Cool, he's here," Daniel whispered.

"Who's here?" Sean asked, leaning over towards Daniel.

"The Captain." That same someone up front, stood up. Everyone on the bus could tell he was a teacher, but the aged and faded boney hat threw them off a bit.

"Now," he began, getting everyone's attention. "For those of you who don't know, lived under a rock for their entire lives, or were scarred at birth, I'm Mr. Washington. No relation to the President. However, for those of you feeling a bit courageous, or who don't like formalities, like I do, I'm The Captain." He reached down to the seat next to him, and pulled up a stack of envelopes. "These contain your dorm number and class group. I'd advise you to hold onto them, but then I'd just be repeating myself later on."

He began calling out names, one by one. Daniel noticed that there was a majority of girls on the bus, but a fair smattering of boys as well.

"You know him?" Sean whispered.

"Yup. That's Jason Washington, one of the original Second Generation Mews."

Sean's eyes widened. "You mean, the original Tokyo Mew Mew?"

"Not the ORIGINAL original," Daniel replied, placing heavy emphasis on the first word. "I think they're teaching in Japan. No, he was the first guy Mew."

"And is he going to be one of our teachers?" Sean asked.

"Benjamin Franklin Hawkeye Pierce!" Mr. Washington suddenly shouted out. Before anyone could do anything, Hawkeye jumped from Daniel's bag, and bolted up the aisle. Every girl on the bus "ohh-ed" and "aww-ed" at the sight of the small golden retriever puppy dashing up the aisle. Daniel smacked his forehead as his dog came running back, two envelopes clenched in his mouth.

"So much for a low profile," he muttered, taking the envelopes from Hawkeye, as Sean went up to receive his. Daniel chuckled, reading how Hawkeye was an official roommate of his.

"So, which room are you in?" Daniel asked, once Sean sat back down.

"Um, 419," he read. Hawkeye barked happily, and Daniel pumped his fist in the air.

"Awesome, same here!" Daniel exclaimed.

Sean winced at his enthusiasm. "And I take it your dog's rooming as well?"

Daniel paused, and wrapped his arms defensively around Hawkeye. "Is there a problem with him? He's completely trained."

Sean shook his head and scratched Hawkeye affectionately. "I always wanted a dog, so, there's no prob."

"Oye, munchkins!" Washington shouted, getting everyone's attention. Some of the girls, Daniel noticed, looked offended at being called, 'munchkins.' "Alright, now that we all know where everyone's rooming, there's a few things we need to go over." The bus suddenly hit a pothole a bit too fast. The resulting shockwave sent Washington tumbling into the aisle, to the laughter of everyone on board. "Right, moving right along," he continued, dusting himself off. "Leeme answer a few questions. Yes, I am Jason Washington, former Mew. Yes I'm going to be one of your teachers, and yes, Ryou Shirogane's an annoying blonde asshole who needs stilts." More laughter accompanied the joke.

"Ok, all jokes aside, on behalf of The Mew Institute, and the entire Mew Project, welcome." Some people began clapping and cheering at this. Washington allowed it to pass, then continued. "The campus is a fair way's upstate, somewhere around Albany. Don't ask me for an exact location, 'cuz I still don't know."

"The bus ride's a fair five hours, so we should be there by nightfall. My advice, get to know the people around you, regardless of where you're from. Take it from the first guy Mew: sometimes, your best resources are your closest friends. And sometimes, they're all you have to rely on." The atmosphere sobered up quickly. It was as if he'd just told everyone that they were all going to die in five seconds. Then, he broke out into a grin. "But don't worry too much about that. You guys are still a long way out from doing too much of anything, and let me assure you, the faculty and I will do almost anything to make sure you're comfortable."

Both Hawkeye and Daniel yawned. "Dude, I didn't get much sleep last night," He informed Sean.

"Ok, why not just sleep now?" Nodding sleepily, Daniel re-arranged himself on the bench, cuddling Hawkeye like a living teddy bear.

"Make sure none of the girls try and take Hawk here, alright?" he asked, before dropping off to sleep.

()()()

CRASH!

"What hit me?" Daniel moaned as he picked himself and Hawkeye up off the floor of the bus. Looking out the window, he noticed a gigantic flood of light.

"Wake up, everyone." Washington called out from the front of the bus. "We're here."

Daniel and Sean stood as the long line of sleepy yet excited teenagers began filing off the bus.

"I feel like we're going to summer camp rather than school," Sean informed his roommate, as Hawkeye yawned, expressing everyone's current state of affairs. Finally, they exited the bus to find themselves standing outside a well-lit building.

"Everyone," Washington called them all to attention. "Welcome to Davis Building, the freshman dorms. There's four floors. First three are girls, fourth is guys." Several moans could be heard from the few guys there as the announcement was made. "Relax, you complain now, but just wait until tomorrow."

Picking up their luggage, the group of dreary-eyed freshies trudged in through the automatic doors. They crowded the stairwells, slowly thinning out as the two roommates ascended. Finally, only the smattering of boys, who had been so outnumbered on the bus, stood at the end of a long hallway.

"My room's at the end, last door on the right." Washington shouted. "Bathroom's around the corner, open all the time. Four to a room, try not to kill each other tonight." With that, he walked down the hall, to his room, unlocked the door, and walked in.

The ragtag group filled out into their rooms. 419 stood halfway down the hall from the bathroom. Sighing, Daniel and Sean entered, Hawkeye long having drifted off to sleep. The room inside was just borderline cramped. Two bunk beds were against opposite walls, while the back wall was one giant desk. Above the desk was a massive window from which the soft light of the stars filtered in, casting an eerie yet calming ambiance into the room. The bunks on the left wall had been taken, so Sean climbed into the bottom bunk on the right wall.

"You alright on the top?" Sean asked, as Daniel easily climbed into the bed.

"Yeah, but could ya pass me up my bag?"

After removing Hawkeye from his position, Daniel took a pair of basketball shorts from the bag, then threw said bag over onto the floor. He took off his pants and shirt, throwing them onto his bag.

"I hope you plan on cleaning that up tomorrow," Sean whispered. Daniel grunted in agreement, pulling on his makeshift pajamas. Kicking his blankets out of the way, he pulled Hawkeye in under them, as he rested his head on the pillow.

"Hawk," he whispered, as the puppy wiggled closer to his master's body heat. "We finally made it."

* * *

This is gonna be a BIG, i'm talking MASSIVE fic. With more Mews than you can shake a stick at. Want in? Well, just follow these simple rules.

1. Fill out this standardized Mew Submition Script.

Name

Age

Height

Weight

Hair

Eyes

Other Physical Attributes

Nationality/Ethnicity

Hobbies/Skills

Personality

Background

Mew Animal

2. Do NOT give me Mew specific data. I don't need it,

3. They have to be American High School age, that is, 15-18 years old. This IS a high school fic.

4. They CANNOT, under ANY circumstances, be Japanese. Why, you might ask? Classified information, but it's epic. However, every other nationality is, not only accepted, but ENCOURAGED

5. Post the completed script in a review for this chapter.

6. Male Mews are welcome.

Anyone not following these rules, will not have their Mew accepted. It will take some time for everyone's Mew to appear, and some might play bigger roles than others, so please, be nice to me, and everyone else. So, without further ado:

LET THE EPICNESS COMMENCE!!!


	2. Chapter 2

Alright everyone, time for the next epic chap of TftMI.

Now, before we begin, yes, it's true. I took the idea for this fic, from CHerrie Sakura's story, Mew Academy. Hell, i asked her, and she said: Go for it! Heck, she's even my beta. So, after you finish this chap, here's what i want everyone to do. Go to my profile, under Favorite Stories, find Mew Academy, and READ AND REVIEW IT!!! YOu people wouldn't have this fic, if it wasn't for Cherrie. So THANK HER.

So, without further ado, here's the next chap

* * *

"Daniel-kun, wake up."

A motherly voice drifted into Daniel's ears, slowly extracting him from his peaceful sleep.

"Five more minutes, Liz," he groaned.

"I'm not Liz, Daniel-kun."

Rolling on his side, Daniel cracked an eye open, to stare into the motherly face of…

"Ame!"

Said woman giggled a bit, and shook her head.

"I'm not 'Ame', Daniel-kun." Daniel recoiled slightly.

"Oh right – sorry Toreko-sensei." Ame giggled again. "Wait, what are you doing in my room?!"

"HOLY SHIT!" One of the other roommates suddenly woke up, hugging his blankets close to him. Ame smiled sweetly, as she backed out of the room.

"I'll let you boys change."

"Son of a bitch!"

The boy on the opposite bottom bunk flung his covers off his body, revealing he was sleeping in only boxers. While Daniel didn't try and stare, he couldn't help but notice, just how…_obese_ his new roomie was. Not to mention short.

"You done staring?" he snapped, as he reached into one of his bags to pull out a shirt.

"Oops – sorry," Daniel muttered, as he easily jumped off the top bunk.

"Smooth," the other boy commented sarcastically. He covered his tan skin with a simple T-shirt, and a pair of loose basketball shorts.

"Morning guys."

The other bottom bunk shifted, revealing a MASSIVE teenager. He literally stretched from one end of the bed to the other. He was a really big, black guy. Everything, from his shaven head, to his massive hands, to his incredibly long legs, screamed, 'Don't mess with me!'

Daniel heard Hawkeye whimper from the top bunk.

"Sorry, Hawk," he muttered, as he stood on Sean's headboard to pick his frightened dog off the bunk.

"Who the hell are you two?" Sean had woken up, still groggy.

"Your roommates, apparently," the first guy commented.

"I'm Matthew Rodriguez."

The big guy from the bottom bunk yawned loudly. "Vash. Vash DeLeery."

Hawkeye barked, and jumped down from Daniel's arms.

"Holy shit, we got a dog in here?" Matthew asked, as Hawkeye started sniffing his feet. There must have been something wrong, because he sneezed, propelling him back about a foot, onto his furry butt.

"Be nice, Hawkeye," Daniel chided, as the Golden Retriever puppy stood back up again, and walked over to Vash. Surprisingly, the oversized teen knelt down, and ran his large hands gently over Hawkeye's small head. The dog apparently liked the treatment, because he started wagging his tail, and barking with joy.

"He's gonna grow up real big," Vash informed him, standing back up. A knock on the door signaled Ame Toreko's return. The four boys were relatively presentable, so there weren't any major problems.

"Hello, I'm Ms. Toreko, or Toreko-sensei."

The boys mumbled a still-groggy greeting.

"Anyway, I would like to welcome you four to the Mew Institute."

"Whoop-de-friken-do," Matthew sighed, spinning his finger in the air, bored.

"Well, I'm the school councilor, and Psychology teacher – though you won't take my class until Junior year. I normally introduce myself as soon as possible, because many students have issues in reaching out to me first."

The boys looked at each other with shifty eyes. Ms. Toreko was, to put it bluntly, hot. She had an oversized, but not disgustingly huge, bust; slim, womanly curves, augmented by her business skirt; and a calm, motherly smile that threatened to destroy their self control.

Ms. Toreko smiled, completely aware of the effect she was having on the four of them. A small bark suddenly drew her attention to Hawkeye, who was sniffing around her high heels.

"Oh, you're such a cute puppy!" she cooed, picking him up, and affectionately hugging him. Though, it was more like smothering. The poor – or lucky – dog seemed to vanish into her cleavage. Finally, she released him, handing him back to a wide-eyed Daniel. "Well, classes begin tomorrow at ten o'clock. Jason-kun will give you your schedules later tonight. Goodbye."

With a final, seductive strut, she left the room.

"Oh my GOD, she was friken hot!" Matthew gasped, once he re-learned how to breathe. Sean's eye was twitching madly.

"Dude, you alright?" Vash asked, placing a hand on the shocked teen's shoulder. It seemed to snap him out of his trance.

"Fine," he muttered in reply.

"I'd hit that, I'd hit that, I'd hit that!" Matthew was chanting, accompanied by a series of pelvic thrusts, apparently showing how he'd 'hit that.'

"What the hell are you doing?" Vash asked, staring the horny teen dead in the eye.

"Hittin' that!" he replied.

"Bad Matt." Vash turned, and smacked him in the back of the head, knocking him to the floor.

Daniel and Sean jumped back, as Vash grabbed Matthew by the ankles.

"Where are you taking him?" Sean asked, as Vash began dragging Matthew from the room.

"Cold shower. He's gettin' too horny." And with that, the massive black teen dragged the Hispanic down the hall and into the bathroom. Soon, shouts of surprise and discomfort could be heard, and then, to everyone's amusement, Matthew came out of the bathroom, dripping wet, followed soon by Vash, with a satisfied look on his face.

"That's new," Daniel remarked, as Matthew began toweling himself off.

"Vash, I friken hate you!" he spat, as the sopping teen changed his clothes.

"Ok, I think I'm gonna go find the cafeteria," Sean announced as he headed towards the door. "I need breakfast."

"Dude, it's like, noon," Vash reported, as Matthew kicked him in the shin.

"WHAT!" Sean spun around, surprise etched all over his face. "I slept until NOON?!"

"I don't see the issue." Daniel informed him, as he pulled on his sneakers. "Sleeping until noon's fun." Sean glared daggers at Daniel, while Vash and Matthew left the room.

"C'mon, we'll show you where the cafeteria is."

Sighing in defeat, Sean ran to catch up with his three roommates, with Hawkeye right on their heels.

"How do you two know where the cafeteria is?" Daniel asked, as he scooped Hawkeye up in his arms.

"We've been on campus for three days," Vash informed them. "Our parents drove us up. We couldn't wait for the official bus." Daniel nodded in understanding, as the four teens left the building.

Their dorm was situated on the side of a long driveway, which snaked its way around campus.

"The gate's over there," Vash pointed out. "Leads to the main field, the lake, and the woods."

"What, are we not allowed in the woods?" Sean asked, a cynical look on his face.

Matthew shook his head. "No, just don't go there after dark. Creepy as hell."

"Where do we have classes?" Daniel asked.

Matthew pointed to a large building, situated at the top of a small slope. "That's the main class building. The round building next to it's the gym."

"The sophomore dorms are next door to Davis Hall. The Junior and Senior dorms are on the other side of campus."

"So, what's with all these other buildings?" Sean asked, motioning to several other buildings around the grounds.

"Those are the specialty buildings. There's Auto, History and Mathematics, SciTech, Arts and Theater… You'd never get bored here on campus," Vash finished.

"So, what about the cafeteria?" Daniel asked, accompanied by the growling of his stomach.

"We're here," Matthew announced, as they reached the other end of the driveway.

They'd come to a large, stonework building. Its brick and stone siding stood out among the metal and glass of the nearby buildings.

"The Student Center," Vash announced, as they walked through the impressive double doors.

"It was the first building here on campus," Matthew explained. "Some senior told me that."

"The nurse's office, postal services, dining, everything's here. Heck, there's even a bowling alley, pool hall, ping pong tables and full on lounge in the basement."

"Cool." Daniel 'oohed'.

"Though, you wanna be careful in the cafeteria, or Café-teria Mew Mew."

"Café-what?" Sean asked.

"It's got something to do with the Mews. I think it's gay," Matthew replied, as they climbed a flight of stairs to the second floor.

The cafeteria was HUGE. It seemed to take up the entire floor-plan of the second floor. Two entire walls were sheer windows, one wall had several dozen booths , which seemed to fit at least ten people. The corners of the room had large couches and plushy arm chairs, circled around small fireplaces.

The view was phenomenal.

The building seemed to be situated on a small cliff-side, overlooking a large lake. The surrounding trees created a surreal atmosphere, as if they were dining in the trees themselves.

"Dude," Matthew nudged Daniel in the ribs. "C'mon."

"We'll get our ID cards later tonight," Vash explained, as they walked past an empty register. "Unlimited meals, along with access to the lounge, laundry, and anything else."

"Wait, what about our dorm keys?" Sean asked, stopping dead in his tracks.

Vash sighed, and held up a silvery key. "Me and Matt both have ours. You two's keys are back in the room safe."

"Fair enough," Daniel replied, taking a tray off a stack, and sliding towards the incredible selection.

"Word to the wise," Vash began, as the four of them made their way down the long wall of food selections. "What looks good, really isn't. This place is more of quantity over quality."

"I'll keep that in mind," Daniel replied.

The selection was massive. Not only was there a grill and pizza station, but they had a wide selection of hot entrees, ranging from white rice to strip steak. Daniel loaded up several pieces of unseasoned beef for Hawkeye. Along with the regular entrees, there was a fresh pasta station, with several shapes of pasta and literally dozens of sauces, a stir fry station, and dozens of other international foods. It was clear: a body could hardly go hungry here.

The four of them sat down in a corner, each guy taking up their own chair, while Hawkeye sat at Daniel's feet.

"Here ya go, Hawk," Daniel sighed, cutting up several pieces of steak, and laying them down on a plate for the puppy.

"So, where you guys from?" Daniel asked, as Hawkeye began attacking his meal.

"New York," the three of them replied at once.

"Specifically?"

"The Bronx," Matt answered.

"Queens," Vash replied.

"Staten Island," Sean informed them.

The three others looked at the mousey haired teen.

"Yuppie," they replied together.

"But I-"

"Yuppie!" they replied again.

After a few minutes of the four of them going back and forth about 'yuppies', Matt leaned back, and sighed.

"This school kicks so much ass," he informed them, putting his feet up on the table, much to Sean's disgust.

"Why's that?" Daniel asked, as Hawkeye jumped into his lap, having finished his food.

"He-llooo!" Matt shouted, waving his hands around the room. "Look around – this room is practically FILLED with hot-ass chicks, and HARDLY ANY GUYS!"

The three other turned to look at him.

"Shut up, man," Vash sighed, before smacking him in the head, yet again.

"Will you cut that out?!" Matt shouted, swatting away his hand.

The rest of the day went by fairly quickly. After finishing their lunch, Vash and Matt took Daniel, Sean and Hawkeye out on a tour of the campus. What they saw impressed them. It was as if someone had taken every aspect of society, every ethnicity, and crammed it all together into this beautiful campus.

"Wait, where are all the Mews?" Sean asked, as they headed back towards Davis Hall.

"I dunno, man," Matt sighed. "When I first came here, I was like, 'Damn, where's all the Cat-girls in friken bikinis?'"

Sean rolled his eyes, while Vash raised his hand up.

"Yo, back off!" Matt shouted, covering his head with his hands, and running out of range. Daniel started laughing, as he glanced at his watch.

"Hey guys, what time was that floor meeting supposed to be?" he asked.

"Um, I think like, seven?" Vash answered, as Matt slowly continued to creep away from him.

"It's five to," Daniel announced.

The four of them stood there for an instant, before bolting.

"Was it really necessary to spend all that time in the library, Sean!?" Matt shouted, as they dodged through a group of girls.

"Not now, Matt," he called back, narrowly avoiding one of the girl's flailing handbags.

"Go, go, go, go!" Daniel chanted, as Hawkeye ran behind him, right on his heels.

"Open the door!" Vash shouted to a couple, standing outside the door to the Davis Hall. With a small scream, the two of them threw open the door, as the five of them raced in.

"We can make it!" Daniel shouted, as they rounded a corner.

CRASH!!!

"Ow," he moaned, as he found himself lying face down on… something.

"What the hell was that?" a female voice called out. Strange thing was, it came from right underneath him. Looking down, he came face to face with a golden brown haired girl. Her almond shaped brown eyes looked back up at him, with a mix of surprise, and disgust. Then it occurred to Daniel, just the awkwardness of their position. One of her legs was trapped between his knees, while his hands were pinning her wrists to the floor. Both of them were sweaty and panting, implying _everything_.

"Get off of me, perv!" she screamed, forcing him off of her. She sprung up, backing away from him, as if he was infected with something.

"Sorry!" he shouted, as he sprinted away from the girl.

"Get back here – I'm not done with you!" she shouted, before chasing after him.

"Crap!" he swore, as he used the doorframe to swing around a corner, and bolted up a flight of stairs. Daniel could still hear the loud hammerings and curses of the girl behind him.

Without thinking, he threw open the door in front of him, as he reached his landing. He took three steps into the hallway, when a loud BANG! went off.

Daniel felt something connect with the side of his head. It had enough force to send him spinning around, onto the linoleum tiled floor. As he lay there on the floor, a dull pain etched into the side of his head, he saw a thick, crimson liquid slowly begin to seep down the linoleum next to him.

* * *

O_O. OMG, did i just kill off the main character in the second chap? Well, you're just gonna have to wait and see


	3. Chapter 3

Well, since that site blackout last weekend, i was able to knit this together. SCHWEET

* * *

A strong hand gripped Daniel's shoulder as he pulled himself up off the floor.

"You alright, man?"

Daniel turned to find Mr. Washington standing next to him, one hand on his shoulder, the other holding an odd sort of gun.

"What is this stuff?" Daniel asked, as he pulled out a blue handkerchief from his pocket.

"Paintball paint," he explained, as Daniel began wiping the scarlet-colored liquid off his head.

"Dude," Matt, Vash and Sean piled up in the doorway, having finally caught up.

"Where'd that girl go?" Daniel asked, as he helped the three of them through the door.

"She never followed you upstairs. Two other girls grabbed her and took her away."

"Ahem," the four boys looked at their teacher, who stood there, arms crossed. "Can I continue with the hall meeting?"

"Sorry," they muttered, as they joined the rest of the boys seated along the walls.

"Like I was saying," Mr. Washington continued, twirling his paintball gun as he paced up and down the hall. "Since the school was opened, it's been discovered that it's a near magnet for Chimera Animals."

One boy raised his hand. "Vhat is a Chee-merra Anee-maal?" he asked, with a thick German accent.

"You'll learn more about them in Bio, but generally, a Chimera Animal is a parasitic creature, introduced into the Earth's ecosystem during the Mew/Cyniclon wars. They can take control, and mutate most animals. They're _extremely_ dangerous, and have been known to attack people on sight."

"So why are we going to school with all these monsters running around?" Sean asked, alarmed, his eyes bugging out.

Mr. Washington twirled his gun again. "You're not unprotected. I'm sure you all know what a Mew is, and if you don't, you'll learn about them in History. The school's seniors are charged with defending the school against Chimera Animal threats. And then, there's us."

He twirled his gun from hand to hand, before leveling off three shots, sending three paintballs straight into the bathroom door, each one hitting the exact same spot.

"This one's just for show. Three years serving with the Marines – you tend to get to be a pretty good shot," the boys started applauding his marksmanship. "Every one of the teachers knows some form of self defense, which we employ to help the seniors against the Chimera Animals. But it's very important that you, as students, follow these simple rules."

Mr. Washington motioned to a small box, with a light on the top of it.

"There're three levels of alert: Code Green, which is 'All Clear', Code Yellow, which is 'Low Alert', and Code Red, 'High Alert'. There're security boxes like this one in every room, in each of the buildings here on campus. If that thing ever glows any other color than green, stay where you are. Don't leave the room; that means there's a Chimera Animal on campus. The buildings are designed to withstand some pretty heavy attacks, so you'll be safe. Also, obey _anything _the teachers or seniors say during an alert. I can't stress this enough."

Daniel slowly raised his hand.

"Has anyone ever…died?"

The hallway quieted down instantly, as if it had turned into a sound vacuum.

"Thankfully, no," Mr. Washington replied, much to everyone's relief. "The worst injury was a broken arm and some _really _bad bites. But that was because the idiot was trying to bait the monster."

The atmosphere in the hall relaxed as Mr. Washington began calling out names. "These are your schedules, everyone. Each day you'll have a morning lecture from ten 'til noon. Some days, that'll be followed by a review from two 'til four. You only have one class a day, so – my advice? Go to them. That is all."

"So what do you guys have tomorrow?" Sean asked, as they returned to their dorm room.

"Well, looks like we're all in the same class," Vash announced, yanking the piece of paper that had been pinned on their door, examining it as they piled inside

"So, we have English Monday, Bio Tuesday, Math Wednesday, History Thursday, and Gym Friday," Daniel read, while Hawkeye curled up on the floor.

"Hold on, little man," Matt said, as he reached into one of his bags lying in the corner of the room. He pulled out a small, fuzzy shag rug, about twice the size of a bathmat. Hawkeye barked happily as Matt laid it out at the foot of Daniel and Sean's bunk.

"Just make sure you don't step on him," Vash said, as he climbed into his bunk.

"You're goin' ta bed?" Matt asked incredulously, as Daniel and Sean joined him.

"Yeah?" Sean replied, a frown of confusion creasing his forehead.

"It's only eight, man – let's _do_ something!"

"There's nothing _to_ do," Daniel informed him.

"Besides, I don't wanna fall asleep in my first class tomorrow morning," Sean replied, yawning.

"Whatever, man," Matt sighed in defeat, as Sean turned off the light.

()()()

"RUN!" Daniel shouted, as the four of them raced across the lawn.

"How late were you up last night?!" Sean shouted to Matt, as they burst though the main doors.

"Past midnight?" Matt shrugged, adjusting his bag across his back.

"Which room is it again?" Vash asked, as they slowed down.

"This one!" Sean huffed suddenly. They burst into the room.

"We've been waiting for you." Their teacher; a short woman with black hair done up in a tight bun, glared at them as they picked themselves up off the floor. "Take your seats; the bell is about to ring."

True to her words, a loud bell chimed, just as the four of them chose their seats. The room was a large lecture hall, with at least seven rows of tables, each one elevated above the previous one. At each table were two rolling office chairs.

"Sweet," Matt whispered, as he and Vash sat at one table. Sean and Daniel occupied the one right behind them.

"Ok. My name is Yubari Atsuko. You may refer to me as Yubari-sensei. I am your Global Literature Studies teacher. Over the course of this year, we will be looking at great works of literature, spanning from the early Middle Ages to the First Industrial Revolution. All books shall be provided, and are to be returned – _undamaged – _when we complete our study of that particular text. Any questions?"

One girl raised her hand. "What about more modern Literature?"

"That will be covered next year."

There were no other questions.

"Very well, then. We shall begin our study of _The Canterbury Tales_, a collection of short stories from the Middle Ages." She began handing out copies of said book. "I would like someone to read the introduction and Prologue..."

With that, English class began. It surmised of people reading out excerpts of the book, while Yubari-sensei quizzed them on specifics of the story, and how it related to different parts of society. It wasn't so much note-taking as it was challenged _thinking_.

About an hour into the class, a loud chime was heard.

"Shoot!" Yubari-sensei swore, as she reached into her bag and pulled out a small, golden object.

"What's the matter?" she demanded, holding the object close to her mouth. A garbled voice replied, to which she furrowed her brow.

"I have a class right now you know!" she spat. However, the voice replied – this time sounding louder.

"Oh, one of those? Alright, I'll be there soon."

Yubari-sensei pocketed the object, tucking it into the pocket of her business skirt.

"Everyone, we have a Code Red situation."

Most of the students started panicking, shouting and screaming.

"QUIET!" She shouted. Instantly, order was restored. "Listen to me - _everyone is to remain in this room_. Do not leave under _any_ circumstances, until the situation is resolved."

"What if we need to go to the bathroom?" one girl asked.

"Hold it," she replied simply, before running out the door.

"First day?" Matt sighed, leaning back in his chair.

"I dunn-OW!" Daniel clutched the back of his head, where something had hit it sharply.

"Remember me?"

The four boys spun around, and Daniel came face-to-face with the girl from the previous evening.

"I am sorry," the girl next to her apologized. "She 'az been like zis since last night."

"Who the hell are you?" Matt asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Jessica Adams," she spat, never taking her chocolate eyes off Daniel.

"I'm Daniel," he told her, shrinking back from her piercing gaze.

She glared at him for a few more moments, before falling back into her seat, laughing.

"Wow, you gonna pee your pants or something?" she laughed.

The girl next to her sighed, relieved.

"I am sorry," she repeated.

The boys noticed that she had a thick, French accent when she spoke.

"We got a Frenchie over here," Matt chuckled.

The girl blushed heavily. "I am sorry, my Eenglish eez not – how do you say eet? – _on zee level_?"

"It's alright," Matt told her, waving his hand. "I speak two languages myself. English, and Bad English."

Jessica looked at him like he was crazy. Daniel fell off his chair, laughing.

"You have no self control," Sean sighed, as Daniel tried to pick himself up off the floor – only to be overcome by another fit of giggles and give up.

"He's _your _bunkmate, man," Matt shouted, pointing to Sean. Sean rolled his eyes. Daniel finally calmed down enough to climb back into his chair.

"So what's your name?" Vash asked, ignoring the antics of his three friends.

"Bridgette… Bridgette Dumont."

"I'm Vash. Horny boy over here's Matt, the cynical one's Sean, and Captain Giggles is Daniel."

"Dude, you're makin' us look bad just to _hit on her_?" Matt demanded.

"Bad Matt," Vash snapped, smacking his Hispanic friend upside the head.

"And you call me violent," Jessica scowled, watching as the two began arguing loudly and rolling her eyes.

"Quiet down, everyone!"

Yubari-sensei had returned, looking disheveled and exhausted.

"We'll conclude class early today – _don't_ get used to it! For next week, I want you to prepare a two-page summary of the first three tales, and a discussion on how they're connected with each other."

With that, she began packing up her stuff, while the students filed out of the lecture hall.

"Let's go eat so we don't get caught up in the rush," Sean suggested, as the four boys left the room.

"Hang on, you four!"

Jessica and Bridgette followed close behind, Bridgette jogging delicately to keep up with them.

"You seem like decent enough guys to hang out with," Jessica told them brightly, beaming.

"What, don't you have your own little pack of girlfriends to chill with?" Matt asked, sneering. She rolled her eyes, reddening just the same.

"In _case_ you couldn't tell, I'm Australian, and Bridgette's French."

"And he's Mexican," Sean replied, pointing to Matt.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Matt demanded, shooting a death glare at his brown haired roommate.

"Nothing. Just didn't know someone so short could jump so high."

"Get your ass back here!" Matt shouted, as Sean took off down the hall, his laughter echoing back to the small group.

"I'm foreseeing a lot of Mexican jokes," Vash sighed tiredly.

"Shouldn't we _do_ somezeeng?" Bridgette asked, alarmed, her accent distorting her English.

"Yeah, Vash – don't you normally discipline Matt when he acts out?" Daniel pointed out.

"He's chasing Sean, not a girl. Not my problem."

"Fair enough man," Daniel grinned.

* * *

Are ya happy sakuuya? There she is. And she'll be there. Well, the OC's have begun, and they're gonna take a while, so bear with.


	4. Chapter 4

Allow me to introduce something new to Tokyo Mew Mew. The outright, egotistical, no redeeming qualities BITCH. And i'd like to say, i could use a few more characters you're supposed to HATE in this fic, it'd give it much more flavor.

* * *

The next morning started out relatively the same way. Because Matt had been up all night, the four boys from Davis 419 found themselves running halfway across campus, desperately trying to outrun the oncoming bell. This morning, however, they weren't so lucky. Halfway down the hall, the four of them tripped over each other, just as the bell sounded.

"Goddammit," Sean swore as he pulled himself out from underneath Vash and Matt.

"Oh shut up, man," Matt told him, punching him on the arm.

"The two of you, enough," Vash snapped, taking the both by an arm and dragging them down the hall.

"Seriously, Matt, you chased Sean up a tree yesterday." Daniel sighed as they schlepped their way into biology.

"Glad you could join us, gentlemen." The boys walked into the lecture hall, eyes downcast as their teacher stood there, arms folded. They sat around Jessica and Bridgette, who gave them 'sorry that happened' looks. "Well, now we can begin. I'm Ms. Melody Konami. No relation to the toy company."

This joke received a smattering of chuckles and giggles. "Anyway, I'm your biology teacher. Today, I'm going to go though the basics of Mew biology, then the trimester will be devoted to cell dynamics." Several students groaned. "You're going to need that knowledge. It's the basics of genetics, which, considering you're all potential Mews, you'll need."

One girl raised her hand.

"When are we going to be infused?" She asked.

"Your name?" Ms. Konami inquired.

"Sierra McGregor. And can you answer my question?"

"Here at the Mew Institute, you'll be infused at the beginning of your Junior year. Before then, the classes you'll take will refer you to basic genetic knowledge, and an extensive history of Mew/Cyniclon relations. Not the least being, the great Mew/Cyniclon wars. Also, your gym classes will be oriented towards useful skills you might need someday. I won't go into details, because Mr. Washington has asked me to be quiet about it. Claims it's a surprise."

"But don't they infuse kids in Japan right off the bat?" Sierra asked, in a snobbish 'I know more than you' tone. However, Ms. Konami didn't seem to notice.

"Yes they do, however, they have a less in-depth curriculum outside generic Mew knowledge. We prefer a more well-rounded education here." Sierra leaned back in her chair, obviously defeated. "Anyway, moving onto the lesson."

"Who can tell me what a Mew is?" Ms. Konami asked as she paced in front of a projector screen. Daniel raised his hand.

"It's a person infused with the DNA of an animal, whose powers are used to defend the Earth."

"A fairly textbook definition, but correct nonetheless." Ms. Konami switched on the projector, displaying an image of the first two Mew teams. "Yes, that is what a Mew is, a guardian of the Earth. However, we want to focus on the former aspect, the infusion." She switched slides, showing a cross-section of a cell.

"The key aspect of the infusion process is the Shirogane strain, a specific sequence of DNA within a person, that makes them compatible with the Mew infusion."

"Isn't Shirogane the name of the founder of the Mew Project?" Jessica asked.

Ms. Konami nodded. "Yes, Ryou Shirogane is the founder of the Mew Project. Though the strain is named after his father, the first official casualty of the Mew-Cyniclon wars. However, that will be covered Thursday in history."

Ms. Konami continued, telling them about the differences in DNA when a Mew was in human and Mew form. This was due to the Dual Nucleus Phenomena in Mew cells. It was an incredibly interesting class, one that no one dared talk, though, for fear of missing critical information. However, once the final bell rang, one person was quick to voice their opinion.

"God, I knew daddy should have sent me to Japan," Sierra whined, as she and two of her 'friends' left the class. "Like, we don't even get to know our animal until junior year? I'm having daddy call this excuse for a school and DEMAND an explanation."

"God, I hate that girl," Jessica hissed, as she and her entourage left.

"You know her?" Sean asked.

"She eez, how you say, a dog?" Bridgette asked.

"You mean a bitch," Jessica spat. "She was complaining the last two days at how small the rooms are and threatening that she'd call 'daddy' if she didn't get a bigger room."

"Yeah, she's a bitch," Matt agreed.

"What happened to, 'I'd hit that?'" Vash asked as they approached the door "She looked attractive."

"I only smack bitches, not hit them."

"Excuse me, you four." Ms. Konami stopped Daniel, Sean, Vash and Matt before they left the room. "I need to discuss your detention."

"Detention!?" The four of them shouted.

"Yes, you came late to my class."

"Oh c'mon," Matt whined. "It's the second day of class!"

"That's no excuse. Now, I want you four to report to my office, on the third floor of the bio-tech building, room 304, at eight o'clock,_ sharp_. If you're late, I'm just gonna have to give you detention again tomorrow."

()()()

"I can't believe her!" Matt shouted, slamming his tray down onto the table. The six of them, including Jessica and Bridgette, were seated in the cafeteria, discussing the teachers. "I mean, it's the second frikkin' day! Is a detention really necessary?"

"Maybe it'll teach you to wake up earlier." Sean sighed, as he took a bite from his sandwich. Vash smacked the two of them upside the head. "Hit him, not me!" Sean shouted, rubbing the back of his head.

"Will the two of you stop complaining about each other!?" Vash shouted.

"Anyway," Daniel continued, "Jessica, can I ask a favor from you?"

"Sure, Daniel, what is it?"

"Well, can you and Bridgette come with us when we go back to our room?"

"Um, all right," Jessica answered, getting a suspicious look in her eyes.

"Thanks, you won't regret it," he told them as the boys stood to put away their trays.

"Should we trust them?" Jessica whispered to her roommate.

"I do not know. Zey seem nice enough."

"Still," Jessica sighed as she and Bridgette followed the four boys back down to Davis Hall.

"Hawkeye!" Daniel shouted as he unlocked the dorm. The golden retriever puppy leapt into his arms, knocking him back a few steps from the momentum.

"He's so cute!" Jessica cooed, scratching Hawkeye behind the ears, as he strained to lick her face.

"Anyway, I was wondering if you and Bridgette would mind watching him tonight while we're in detention." Hawkeye leapt into Jessica's arms, as he feverishly began licking her face.

"Of course! We'd love to watch him." Bridgette nodded.

"Yes, 'ee eez very adorable." Bridgette agreed, patting the top of Hawkeye's head gently.

()()()

"You behave yourself, Hawkeye," Daniel scolded, as he and the other three boys departed Davis hall, several hours later.

"Don't worry," Jessica called out, waving the four boys off. "We'll take good care of him." The two girls turned back inside, as the boys turned up the driveway.

"All right, Hawkeye," Jessica cooed, as she cuddled the dog in her arms. "Let's get you cleaned up." Hawkeye's ears perked up at the mention of 'clean.'

"You are giving zee dog a shower?" Bridgette asked, as the two girls returned to the dorm. Jessica began taking off her clothes, taking out a one piece bathing suit.

"Yeah, I guess so," she told her roommate, sliding the straps of her suit up her shoulders. "I don't need a shower, and I think this little guy's a pervert." The two girls laughed, as Hawkeye began sniffing around Jessica's discarded undergarments. He looked up at the girls curiously, half of Jessica's bra hanging off his head.

"'Ee eez rather adorable." Bridgette sighed, sitting down on her bedside. Jessica clipped Hawkeye's leash into his dog harness on his shoulders.

"You come with me, little man," Jessica demanded, as she grabbed her toiletries.

She calmly walked Hawkeye down the hall to the communal bathroom. Some of the girls cooed, as Jessica led the small puppy into the shower stall.

"You have such a cute puppy," one girl cooed, leaning over the stall divider.

"I'm just watching him for the night," Jessica replied, as she tied Hawkeye's leash to the door handle.

"Get over here, you," she demanded, holding the puppy under the water. Hawkeye seemed to enjoy it, and he opened his mouth, catching the falling water. "Now for some soap," she exclaimed, kneeling down to the puppy, who was currently jumping around in the water.

Hawkeye whimpered a bit, while Jessica applied a thick coating of shampoo to his gleaming yellow coat. However, all hell broke loose when she tried to remove his harness to wash his shoulders better. The mischievous puppy shot out from underneath Jessica's slippery grip, darted underneath the stalls, and ran across into the main bathroom area. There, he slipped on a patch of spilled shampoo, and went sliding across the tiled floor, colliding with one girl's ankles.

"Someone get this mutt off of me!" the girl screamed, kicking Hawkeye across the tile floor. Thankfully, Jessica was able to intercept him before he collided with the hard wall.

"What's your problem, Sierra?!" Jessica shouted, as she cradled the frightened puppy against her damp body. Sierra stomped over to the wet Australian girl.

"You get that flea-ridden mutt out of my way, or I swear I'll get my daddy to get rid of it!" Hawkeye whimpered and buried his head into Jessica's chest. She wrapped her arms defensively around the scared dog.

"How about YOU get one thing straight, you pink-haired bitch, I'm not afraid of anyone. Not you or your precious daddy."

Sierra laughed snobbishly. "This coming from an uncultured, un-developed little girl," she emphasized the second point, by thrusting out her grotesquely massive bust in Jessica's face.

"You calling me flat chested?!" she snapped back. Sierra laughed again.

"I can see why you're wearing that fashion disaster you call a bathing suit. I'd be ashamed to wear a bikini if I didn't have any curves."

Jessica was three steps away from bloodshed, when a firm, but gentle hand came down on her shoulder.

"Let's not do anything we'll regret later."

"Toreko-sensei," Jessica muttered. The blond-haired teacher stood between the two feuding girls.

"Now, what seems to be the problem?"

"That girl's dog attacked me, unprovoked!" Sierra shouted, pointing a finger at Hawkeye, who was still cuddled in Jessica's arms. She was about to begin shouting down the pink-haired brat when Toreko-sensei held up a hand.

"Jessica, is this true?"

"No. Hawkeye here just ran into her legs. No, he _slipped_ into her legs."

"That dumb animal is a menace!" Sierra shouted, grabbing her toiletry bag from the sink she was using. "You'll be hearing from my daddy's lawyers." With that, she huffed out of the bathroom.

()()()

"I'm sorry about her," Jessica whispered to Hawkeye, as she toweled the scared puppy off in her room.

"Was eet Sierra again?" Bridgette asked, as she looked up from the book she was reading. The two girls had changed into their pajamas, Bridgette wore an elegant, pale pink nightgown. Jessica was in a pair of baby blue long sleeved pajamas, cuddling Hawkeye.

"She threatened Hawkeye here. That bitch doesn't deserve to be a Mew." Bridgette swore several times in French before turning to a cage, standing on her bedside table.

"Come out, Lisette," she cooed. A small, grey speckled owl hopped out onto her outstretched hand.

"I still can't get over how you have an owl as a pet." Jessica sighed, leaning back onto her bed.

"He always seems to follow me around. Eet eez az eef, we 'ave a connection," Bridgette told her fascinated roommate, as the small owl hopped up onto the French girl's shoulder.

"How is living in France? You live in Paris?" Bridgette shook her head, as she placed a bookmark into the page of her book.

"No, I live in Lyon. Eet eez just az large as Paris, if not bigger. Though, while Paris eez known for eetz culture, Lyon eez known for eetz technical industry. Zere are plans to build a Mew School in Lyon. Zough, my family wanted to send me to Amereeca."

Jessica nodded as Hawkeye stared at the small bird perched on Jessica's shoulder. "I'm from Melbourne myself. It's all right, but nothing happens there. Everyone seems perfectly fine with being a mechanic or burger stand manager."

"Yet you applied yourself to your studies?" Bridgette inquired.

Jessica nodded. "I've always wanted to come to America, or Japan, so I was ecstatic when my mom told me I was a Mew."

"Eet was a shock when I found out myself. To be honest, I am scared."

"Why?" Jessica asked.

"Lyon was occupied by zee Cyniclons during zee war. Some of zee older people still talk about zee terror of zee occupation."

Jessica got up off her bed, and took Bridgette's hands. "You've got me. And we both know one of the biggest guys around. I'm sure he'll be good in a fight."

Bridgette sighed, and patted Jessica's hands. "Zank you, Jessica. Maybe we won't need to fight."

"Maybe."

Jessica sat back down on her bed. "I heard there's an exchange program every year with the school in Japan."

"Yes, that was, how do you say, ad-ver-tized?"

"Yeah, I read about it too."

"I am sorry, my English eez terrible."

"It's not that bad. Though my Japanese is far worse."

"You speak Japanese?" Bridgette asked.

"I wouldn't say 'speak.' More like 'bastardize.'" The two girls laughed a bit, to be distracted by Hawkeye on Jessica's bed. He yawned loudly, laying his head down on his paws.

"I think he has the right idea." Jessica sighed, pulling back her covers. Bridgette nodded in agreement, putting Lisette back in her cage.

Jessica turned off the light, when she felt something cuddling against her chest.

"Hawkeye," she sighed, flipping back her covers. "Get under here, you little mutt," she whispered. With a quiet yelp, Hawkeye snuggled down against Jessica's body as the two girls slowly drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Everyone at the mew Institue has a story. And while some may be more critical than others, they all build up to...IT!!!


	5. Chapter 5

Greetings everyone! Time for more updates. Today, i'll be mixing things us. ALSO, epic foreshadowing.

* * *

"Damn alarm!"

A hand reached out from underneath the blankets, slapping around the nightstand in search of the offending device. Finally, the hand clicked the alarm off, and the woman hauled herself out of bed.

Groaning, she looked herself over in the mirror. The sleepy-eyed form of Kanyo Murasaki stared back at her. Though, to the girls she watched over in the second floor of Davis Hall, she was Professor Murasaki.

"Morning, Professor!" one of the girls greeted her, as Murasaki stood up at one of the several porcelain sinks in the floor's community bathroom.

"Good morning, Niome," Murasaki replied, as she began brushing her teeth.

"We have your class tomorrow morning, right?" the girl inquired eagerly.

"Yes – I've got Group A this morning," Murasaki replied, spitting out her toothpaste.

After a swift gargle and rinse, Murasaki returned to her room to change for the day. However, she noticed with distaste that the weather outside was abysmal this morning.

"Better forget the business suit," she mumbled to herself, opting for a more casual outfit of jeans and a dark red sweater. After combing out the tangles in her short hair, she grabbed her umbrella from its place in the corner, swung her bag over her shoulder, and locked the door behind her.

Breakfast up in the cafeteria was uneventful, aside from Murasaki watching Atsuko nearly throw a fit because the cafeteria workers ran out of her favorite flavor of herbal tea. Finally, after finishing her pears and yoghurt, Murasaki hauled herself out of her usual booth, and out into the pouring rain. She joined the small groups of students running across the soaked lawn towards the main lecture building.

Murasaki arrived at her room with several minutes to spare. A number of students had already arrived and were seated, waiting. After pausing for the bell, Murasaki began writing the lesson's equations up on the whiteboard.

"Welcome to Freshman Mathmatics. I'm Professor Murasaki, and you'll have me for the next four years as your Mathmatics teacher. My advice: get on my good side now." She smiled inwardly as several students snickered at her joke.

Murasaki instantly got into the lesson, wasting no time explaining equations and variables. She was pleased that there was at least one student – a curly haired boy – who was paying attention. He seemed to know his stuff. Murasaki made a mental note to find out what his name was, and possibly rope him into the tutoring program.

About an hour into the lecture, Murasaki had already determined the students who understood what she was talking about, the ones who already knew it, and the ones who didn't have a damn clue. It was the usual.

But what happened next, was anything _but_ usual.

While Murasaki was writing the solution to one of the example problems, she heard what sounded curiously like a bark. Dismissing it as the usual student antics, she turned around to explain the equation's solution, and came face-to-face with a somewhat familiar student, who was kneeing at the front of the lecture hall, arms outstretched, as if to pick something up. Looking down, Murasaki spotted a golden retriever puppy sitting obediently at her feet.

Without so much as a word, Murasaki picked the puppy up and placed him on her lecturer's podium. She glared down at the student, who was trying to back up to his seat, quite plainly humiliated.

"I'll talk with you after class," she told him coldly. The boy nodded sheepishly, before nearly sprinting back to his seat, amid snickers from the rest of the class.

It was the first time Murasaki had ever taught a class with a dog in the room.

For the most part, he was very well behaved. He sat there, looking at her throughout the rest of the lesson, without so much as a yip. About fifteen minutes before the bell rang, the puppy lay his head down on his paws and went to sleep. This drew the attention of every girl in the class, causing many sighs and '_aww_!'s of giggly adoration.

After the bell rang and most of the students had filed out, the owner of the puppy stood in front of Murasaki, with five of his friends gathered behind him.

"Daniel," Murasaki began.

"Hi, Professor," he replied, smiling nervously.

Sighing, Murasaki crossed her arms. "I really hope you don't expect any special treatment. I thought Aoyama-san and Elizabeth would have raised you better."

"It wasn't his fault, Professor," one of Daniel's friends began, but she cut him off.

"Listen, I don't care who's fault it was. The fact is, _your_ dog interrupted _my_ class, Daniel." Daniel hung his head, obviously ashamed of what had happened.

Murasaki turned to look at the offending dog, and her heart melted. He was waking up from his short nap, yawning and scratching his ear. He looked over at Murasaki with sleepy, half-closed eyes. Murasaki just didn't have it in her to continue berating the young teenager. Making sure no one else was around, she picked up the puppy and gave him a quick hug.

"Promise me this little fella's gonna stay _out_ of my classroom," she said sternly. Daniel and his friends began nodding furiously. With one last hug, Murasaki handed the dog back to him.

"I told you to wait until after Math to give Hawkeye back," Daniel hissed.

"He climbed into my bag – what did you expect me to do?" one of his friends hissed back, as they left the lecture hall.

()()()

"So _that's _the difference!"

Murasaki was seated in the library; several juniors from her recently ended lecture seated around her.

"Do you get it now Tanith? You need to differentiate the equation _before_ you simplify."

Murasaki knew the names of all six teenagers seated around her. Each one of the teachers at the Institute had some attribute that helped them to connect with their students. Murasaki had an incredible knack for remembering names, which was more than she could say for some of her co-workers.

"And then, Ryou comes running into the main café, where he slides across the floor – one foot in the mop bucket – and he smashes into the wall. And Pudding and Jason just sprinkle him with powdered sugar!"

Murasaki sighed on the inside as she listened to her old friend, Mika-Zuki Misawaki reminisce with several of her Freshman students. She was the school nurse, and co-Bio teacher with Melody. But she always somehow managed to put a smile on anyone's face.

"I think that's all for today," Murasaki announced, and the students began closing their books.

"See you next week, Professor!" Tanith called out, as she walked out of the library.

Sighing, Murasaki turned her thoughts to when the snake-infused girl had first arrived at the Institute. She had been a recluse in every sense of the word, never talking with _anyone_, fully content to solo RP in her Dungeons and Dragons world.

Then there was that near fist-fight with that Cyniclon girl in her freshman year. But once word got out about her D&D skills, she had quickly amassed a small clique. She still sometimes scared Murasaki, but she figured it was well worth it.

"Murasaki-chan!"

A large weight suddenly threw itself against Murasaki's shoulders.

"Mika, you're not a kid anymore, is this _really_ necessary?" she moaned, her knees bucking under Mika's weight. Laughing, Mika dropped off Murasaki's shoulders.

"C'mon Murasaki, we still can have some fun!"

Murasaki sighed, obviously defeated by Mika's inner child. Though it was more like 'outer child' sometimes.

"Anyway, let's head over to the faculty lounge," Mika suggested, as the two teachers left the library. "I think Jason's playing Pai again."

"Oh, that's always something worth watching."

The two friends giggled, sharing a private joke. Dodging through a crowd of hungry students, the two former Mews headed towards the basement of the Student Center. Rounding a corner, Murasaki swiped her ID card at a door at the end of the hall. With a click, the two teachers pulled the door open.

"Hi, Mika! Hi, Murasaki!"

"Hi, Melody."

Murasaki and Melody descended the polished granite stairs, entering the faculty lounge. It was a spacious room, divided into two halves by a pair of French doors. On one side – the side they know looked upon – was a full wet bar in one corner and a sunken lounging area, complete with L-shaped couch, reclining armchairs and wide screen TV mounted on the opposite wall, and a series of small tables and chairs.

Melody stood up from one of said tables. She had several piles of papers scattered around in a messy pile.

"It's only the first week, Melody; what are all these?" Mika demanded, motioning to the stacks of papers, astonished.

"Handouts for my Freshman class next week."

"Yeah, I heard you gave Daniel and his friends a detention!" Mika laughed, plopping onto the couch.

"In a world gone soft, someone's gotta be hard," Melody replied, grinning.

"That sounds like the old Melody we all know and love."

"Evening, Ame," the three teachers chimed, as the fourth member of the old Mew team joined them.

"Son of a–!"

"Sounds like Jason just lost another city," Ame chuckled, as the four girls walked through the doors into the second half of the room. It was taken up by a single, large table, on which was an enormous world map, upon which dozens of holographic representations of solders and tanks were fighting in a climactic representation of World War II.

"I admire your strategy, Jason-san… But you clearly forgot about my anti-aircraft batteries."

"Kicking his ass again, Pai-san?" Melody asked a holographic image of the alien, which hovered, flickering a little every now and then.

"Not as badly as last time, Konami-san."

Mika laughed. "Yeah, Pai blasted your invasion fleet to Kingdom Come!"

"Shut up!" Jason shouted, manipulating the controls as he eyed the holographic solders obeying his commands with a fierce intensity.

"And that's game and match," Pai declared triumphantly, five minutes later, as the British colors flew over the round dots representing Berlin and Tokyo.

"I'll kick your ass later," Jason sighed in defeat, as several more holograms appeared.

"It's the blond midget!" he shouted, overjoyed, as the holographic image of Ryou Shirogane appeared next to Pai.

"Good evening, everyone."

"Kill it! Kill it with fire!" Jason shouted dramatically, pointing again at Shirogane. Rolling his eyes, he continued as if he'd never spoken.

"This meeting is important. Where's Atsuko?"

"She's right here," Mika chimed, flopping down on one of the many bean bag chairs in the room.

Several other holographic images appeared. Jason smirked, as the last one appeared.

"Hiya, Z," he chuckled. The holographic form of Zakuro Fujiwara turned to look at him, a smile playing around her features.

"Hi, Jason," she greeted quietly, sighing a little.

"Sorry Jason, but they haven't perfected holographic sex yet," Ryou sniped, irritated. Jason threw a pillow at his head, which fizzled the hologram a bit.

"Can we please get on with it?" Minto snapped, impatient.

"Down to business," Keiichiro began. "First off, we have an update on Chantilly."

The five former Mews perked up immediately.

"Where?" Mika and Melody demanded together.

Ryou sighed. "It seems he's set up a base on Mars. A team of Cyniclons attempted to storm it, but we lost all contact."

"That bastard's still hell-bent on taking over Earth?" Jason hissed.

"Yes, but he hasn't made a move," Murasaki informed him.

"He's biding his time, rallying his forces," Ame added.

"Last time we saw him was at Iwo Jima," Mika said.

"Yeah; at the last battle," Murasaki replied.

"The last time…" Jason looked down at his bare right wrist.

"That's where the good news comes in," Ryou announced, oddly brightly, for Ryou. "I've made some progress, and I've concluded that it is altogether _impossible_ for me to artificially synthesize a compatible vector."

The five of them groaned.

"How is _that_ good news?" Jason demanded.

"I'm getting to that part!" Ryou snapped, before calming himself and continuing. "After careful analysis, I've discovered… this."

A virtual image of a DNA Double Helix hovered above the table.

"What's this?" Melody asked curiously.

"The Lazarus Vector," Ryou announced.

"What's that do?" Ichigo asked, eyes wide.

"Under the right circumstances, it can manipulate the DNA of a specified target. Basically, it's what's going to let me re-infuse you all."

"But I thought you said you couldn't make it?" Lettuce pointed out, confused.

Ryou smirked. "I know. This is coming from a live donor."

Everyone went stark silent in shock, as Ryou continued.

"While looking though the genetic folders of some prospective students, I came across this vector in the DNA cycle of one girl."

"Who is it?!" Melody asked. Ryou shook his head.

"I can't tell you, or anyone. She's simply too important. If her DNA was to fall into the wrong hands, they could infuse _anyone_."

"And that's a bad thing, na no da!" Pudding injected.

"I've arranged for her to arrive here at the Academy sometime around early September. I'll infuse her personally, and hopefully extract a sample to experiment on."

"When can we anticipate a re-infusion?" Jason asked, eager.

"It'll take me some time, but, if all goes well, it should be about a year from now."

"Hopefully that will be enough time," Zakuro murmured.

Jason drew his guns, and twirled them expertly. "I don't have infinite ammo, Ryou. Work fast."

Ryou – to everyone's surprise – nodded in reply. "I'll do what I can."

With that, the transmission abruptly ended.

Mika let out a whoop of joy, and flopped back down onto her chair.

"We get to be Mews again!"

"I still don't see why you guys are always so hyped about becoming Mew Mews again. It annoys me," Atsuko sighed.

"You weren't a part of the old team," Ame informed her. "It was really something."

* * *

Yes, IT!!!

Alotta people have been bugging me about IT, so leeme give you a hint.

"TO discover what IT is: Don't stop believin' in The Force."

And that's all i'mma gonna say.


	6. Chapter 6

Everyone fo review Mew Academy some more. Cherrie managed to have this chap betaed in a day. WHOOT! Another epic chapter for you all, for being so patient. No epic foreshadowing here, but i DO introduce some...OC's

* * *

"Good morning, minions!"

Today, the four boys were on time, considering it was Mr. Washington's history class, and they were eager to see how their dorm supervisor taught. He paced back and forth in front of the room, eyeing them.

"History: possibly one of _the _most important subjects you will take–" Everyone rolled their eyes at the classic 'teacher' banter. He frowned. "Don't believe me? Someone tell me now why negotiations failed initially between the Cyniclons and Mews."

No one raised their hand. Mr. Washington laughed.

"See what I'm talking about? History is an endless cycle, doomed to be repeated unless we learn from it. The reason for the failure was not only because of the prejudice on both sides towards the adversary, but because both sides didn't want to negotiate in the first place. Trick question."

He pulled a remote out from his pocket and dimmed the lights.

"This year, I'm going to go through the major battles in the Mew/Cyniclon War. Starting with the First Battle of Tokyo."

Daniel raised his hand.

"Tan and brown-haired, third row," Mr. Washington called out, pointing to him. Everyone snickered as Daniel asked his question.

"Does this include the Deep Blue incident… or Chantilly's invasion?"

"Excellent question," he replied, powering up an overhead projector.

"Now, there was an intuiting pattern in the battles of the Mew/Cyniclon Wars. Unlike conventional warfare, where the goal was to hamper the enemy's ability to fight, it was mainly fought over raw material. Water, minerals; even air itself became a target during these conflicts. The first battle of Tokyo can be broken up into two phases, like Daniel said. The first took place from March 2006 and lasted until February, 2007. During that time, three Cyniclon warriors: Kisshu, Pai and Taruto, landed on Earth, in an attempt to destroy the human race in order for their people – the Cyniclons – to survive."

"But wait," Jessica interrupted, raising her hand, "I thought the three of them were teachers at the Toyko Mew Academy?"

"Excellent!" Washington praised, impressed. "Looks like I'm not teaching a bunch of vegetables this time." He skipped ahead another slide.

"Yes Ms. Adams, the Cyniclons - for the most part - are our allies. But I'm getting ahead of myself." He clicked the slide forward, to display a picture of the original five Mews. "To combat the threat they posed, Ryou Shirogane and Keiichiro Akasaka began the Mew Project, and created a way to infuse five teenage girls with the DNA of different animals. They were known as the 'Tokyo Mew Mew'."

"Why are we called 'Mews'?" someone asked.

"I dunno. Blame Shirogane for the fruity name." More laughs accompanied the joke.

"Anyway, sometime around July, 2006, a crucial discovery was made: Mew Aqua." Some people in the room began to mutter to each other. "I see some of you have heard of it. Can anyone give me a definition?"

Several people raised their hands, including Sierra, Daniel, and Jessica.

However, Washington pointed to a skinny, black haired girl, sitting up in the corner of the room. She spoke with a dull, bored, monotonous voice that sent obvious shivers down some of the girls' spines.

"Mew Aqua is a rare mineral, found only in areas of dense human population. It is somewhat unstable in large quantities, but in smaller amounts it has an untapped healing factor, and is said to be able to quadruple a Mew's attack power."

There was a heavy, stunned silence.

Washington nodded, obviously satisfied with the definition. "And your name please?"

"Scarlet Alexandra Sterling," she replied, in the same dull monotone.

"Ms. Sterling is right. Up to this point, it was believed Mew Aqua was _so _rare that it wouldn't have a massive impact on the world. The first deposit was discovered two years prior ******to the beginning of the Mew Project**, by Shirogane, and used to bind the Animal DNA to the infused Mew. However, in the summer of 2007, a massive deposit of the stuff was discovered underneath Tokyo, Japan. This began a race between the two factions, to recover as much Mew Aqua as possible. The aliens wanted it for a terrible reason."

Sighing deeply, Washington advanced the slide, showing a picture of a Cyniclon male in a dull blue robe, with slate grey hair and pale skin. However, his eyes were a brilliant shade of blue that seemed to pierce through the screen, right into the souls of the students. It felt as if the temperature had dropped several degrees, and one girl even let out a straggled sob.

"This… is Deep Blue. Eons ago, he was worshipped as a god by the Cyniclons, when they still inhabited Earth. After the climate change that forced them to leave, he was forced into dormancy. He appeared in a dream to Kisshu, the leader of the Cyniclon attack force, promising to rid Earth of the humans and to lead his people to great heights."

Washington scoffed.

"It was all a lie. Deep Blue's real intentions were to reduce the Earth to a barren wasteland, and create a race of super beings with which he could take over the universe. However, he required large dosages of Mew Aqua to cement his physical form**.** That form was of Masaya Aoyama, an ally to the Tokyo Mew Mew, and boyfriend of Ichigo Momomiya, leader of the Mews.

"Early March, 2007, Deep Blue took over young Masaya's body, and awakened in his full form. What happened after that, I'm not so sure. The original Mews are fairly tight-lipped about it, but what I _do_ know is that Deep Blue was wiped from Masaya's mind, and the threat passed. The Mews presented the last of the Tokyo Mew Aqua to the Cyniclons, in hopes that it might be able to heal their planet." Right there, the bell rang, signaling the end of classes for the day.

"Alright everyone, don't go anywhere just yet," Washington announced. "You're also all in my gym class tomorrow. Assemble outside the main gym at 9 o'clock – _sharp_. I want sneakers or boots, loose fitting shorts, and cotton shirts. No heels, no tank tops… or anything of the sort. You'll all see what I'm talking about tomorrow morning... _Dismissed_!" he shouted.

The class began to leave, anxious to eat lunch. However, the four boys crowded around Washington.

"Daniel, Daniel, Daniel," he sighed, ruffling the boy's chocolate brown hair. "You've really grown up, kid," he told him with a smile. "And I see you made some friends."

"Yeah, they're my roommates."

"Possibly better than the ones back in Brooklyn, right?" Washington replied. Daniel's face reddened slightly and he shifted uncomfortably.

"Lighten up, kid. Hey, I gotta do some reconnaissance 'cuz of that rain yesterday. You boys wanna come?"

The four nodded eagerly. Washington grinned, shouldered his bag, and strolled out of the lecture hall, followed by the small group.

"So, you four enjoyin' your time here?" Washington asked, as they walked ******across** the damp grass.

"It's one of the most unique schools I've ever been too," Sean informed him.

"And the sexiest," Matt added in a whisper.

Washington actually laughed. "Yeah, Mews tend to be girls more often, but there's a fair amount of boys here."

They left the main part of campus, strolling past the open iron gates that marked their boundary, and down to the expansive field that surrounded the school on three sides.

"In three weeks," Washington began as they made their way towards the forest at the edge of the field, "we're having our annual Fall Carnival. Each one of the school clubs and organizations has their own booth. Some are even hosting their own events."

The group was halfway across the field when Washington stopped.

"What's up, Captain?" Daniel asked.

"Shit!" he swore in reply, drawing his guns. "Hunters!"

Just then, a bone-chilling howl shattered the peaceful silence. The four boys surrounded Washington, as large objects began running towards them. Those objects turned out to be huge, powerful-looking wolves, each with a crimson-eyed glare that seemed to freeze them in their place.

"Somebody get out here!" Washington shouted into his pendant. "We have a Code White, repeat: _Code White_!"

In one fluid motion, he spun around and shot one of the wolfish Chimera Animals in the chest, as it was about to leap up onto Matt.

"My bullets can't purge them," Washington told them, as three more monsters were shot back, only to stagger to their feet again. "Only Mews can do that."

Sean looked on in horror as one of the Chimera Animals stalked his way far closer to him than any of the others. With a howl, it leapt at him, only to be thrown back, not by bullets, but by Vash's huge foot. The black teen stood back-to-back with Washington.

"Lemme help you, Captain," he suggested, as he roundhouse kicked another wolf away.

"Where's backup?!" Daniel shouted, as Vash's fist prevented him from becoming kibble.

"I don't know!" Sean shouted in reply, covering his ears from the loud report of Washington's guns. Matt was too petrified to move as Vash floored another wolf.

"Don't worry boys!" Washington shouted. "The cavalry has arrived!"

"Ribbon: Board Boomerang!"

To the astonishment of the petrified freshmen, what looked like a big blue surfboard came whizzing in, knocking away three of the wolf Chimera Animals and purging the floating jellies from their bodies.

"Hey, captain!"

"Leroy; Jenkins!" Washington shouted in response, as another figure leaped into their midst. He was tan and bare-chested, with a ripped six pack. The only clothes he wore were his sea green swim trunks. He threw one hand in the air, and caught the spinning surf board in mid air. He grinned, revealing a mouth full of razor sharp teeth, reminding the boys of a humanoid shark.

"You look like you could use some backup, Captain!" the teen shouted, swinging his board around like a massive club, literally knocking the jellies out of the wolves.

"Where's the rest of the Ranger Squad?" Washington demanded.

"Reporting for duty, Captain!"

To the astonishment of the four already astonished boys, a new figure leaped over twenty feet in the air, to come crashing down onto two of the Chimera Animals, knocking them unconscious. He seized the two jellies in his hands and crushed them.

"First Lieutenant Mew Leptor at your service, sah!" he shouted, saluting smartly.

"Give us a hand here, Will!"

"Righto sah; give these blighters the ol' one-two!"

With that, he back-flipped, and began boxing the Chimera Animals. He was apparently another Mew, considering there was a pair of long rabbit ears coming out of his head. However, he was garbed in a loose-fitting forest green tunic and dark brown pants. He also seemed to have a pair of brass knuckles covering his fists.

"They're withdrawing!" Washington shouted, as the pack of Chimera Animals turned and ran towards the woods.

"Ranger Squad, here!"

"Nice timing, Jackie." Washington turned to a teenage girl, about the same age as Jenkins. She was leaning on a crimson broadsword, a ridiculous smile on her face. She wore a bikini-esque top, but long, deep red pants, that reminded Daniel of a kimono. Her small, panda-like ears twitched as she shouldered her weapon.

"Let's kick some ass!" she shouted enthusiastically.

However, Washington held up a hand.

"I need you to escort these guys back to Davis Hall," he told her, motioning to the four

There apparently was no sense in arguing, because just then, over a dozen more Mews appeared.

"Alright, we have the Ranger and Scout Squads here, along with myself and Toreko. The Hunters are numbering at least six, but that's no reason to assume there aren't more of them hiding in the woods," Washington said, assuming a commanding role.

"I want a full sweep of the area, starting from here. Ranger: you and me will check out past the Dividing Waters. Scout: you and Toreko head down to the old mine; make sure the water pumps aren't damaged. Rendezvous at the main road. For the jellies, its _kill on sight_. We don't need any new test subjects!"

With that, they separated into two groups, heading in opposite directions, with the one girl, Jackie, standing there, looking pissed.

"But I wanted to kick some ass!" she whined, before powering down.

"You really think that's a good idea?" Vash asked.

Jackie glanced at him, before pulling a small robot from her pocket. It looked like a chibi version of a red panda, with oversized eyes and cute little ears, which it scratched at with one of its front paws.

"Mini-Me, can I have a scan for Chimera Animals in the area?"

The little robot perked up and spun its head around 360 degrees, before announcing: "No monsters, no monsters!"

Jackie smiled, before putting the little robot back in her pocket. "The M-9000 series; designed for the Mew teams here on campus," she explained. "You boys alright? That was a real baptism of fire back there."

"I think Matt's gonna go into shock," Sean announced. Matt was seated on the ground, panting and shivering all over. His eyes were wide as saucers, darting around wildly.

"Hey kid, are you alright?" Jackie asked, kneeling down and placing a hand on his shoulder. He didn't reply. Jackie looked scared for a second, before wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into a warm embrace. "They're gone now; you don't need to worry,"

Now… this was a bad idea, for the sole reason that Jackie decided to wear her V-neck shirt, which showed off a great deal more cleavage than her Mew Fuku. And, considering Matt was in the 'perfect' position, Jackie unintentionally shoved his face into her cleavage.

"Mmm… boobs," he mumbled an instant later. Jackie gasped, before shoving him away. Sean sighed, and both he and Vash smacked him in the back of the head.

"Are you really alright?" Daniel asked, as he helped his horny friend up.

"Yeah, dude," Matt sighed, dusting off his pants. "That just was messing with me a bit."

"I've seen grown men start crying when they see Chimera Animals from a distance," Jackie told them smugly, as they began to walk back towards campus.

She laughed, thinking back. "Last year, a bunch of Senators thought it'd be a good idea to come out to 'Assess the quality of this nation's most critical institution.' A lot of us knew they were trying to see if they could get all the teachers replaced."

"Why?" the four boys asked, surprised.

"'Cuz that's what politicians do. They dick around in other people's business, trying to see if they can do anything – regardless of the consequences – to get their names in the papers."

"So what happened?" Sean asked.

"Well, we had a Code Red. A devil-class Chimera Animal landed right in the middle of campus. And, of course, this one man wanted to see for himself where the tax dollars were going." Jackie laughed again. "The thing was fifty feet away from him, preoccupied with the main Mew squad on campus, and this weakling breaks down and cries for no reason."

"Trauma?" Matt suggested.

Jackie scoffed. "This man was in the League during the war; he wouldn't have any trauma to speak of!"

They had finally reached Davis Hall. After knocking on the door, the four boys were admitted by a Mew in a long purple cloak.

"I'll see your guys around," Jackie said, before transforming back into her Mew form and dashing off towards the woods.

"So that's what it's like to be a Mew," Daniel muttered in awe.

* * *

Alright, that's another chapter DONE! I know some questions have been raised here, but i'm answering them IN STORY. I noes what i'm doing

Oh, and btw...I'm STILL taking OC submitions. Hell, there's even some spots left on the Mew teams if you're intrested


	7. Chapter 7

First off, wanna give a shout out to Cherrie, for being a badass beta. I'd like to see anyone else beta this chap in LESS than 24 hours. Srsly, everyone go read the latest chapter in Mew Academy as soon as you finish here. Yeah, she updated.

Also, props goin' out to everyone whose reviewed so far. You guys make it ALL worthwile.

Btw...anyone remember IT. Well, the planteary alignment is in favor of IT starting soon. *evil laughter*

* * *

The athletic center on campus consisted of a long, rectangular building, built into the slope of the grounds. Upstairs was a massive basketball court and elevated track, while downstairs housed a two-storey climbing wall, full fitness center, and eight-lane pool. Friday morning found the boys of Davis 419, along with Jessica and Bridgette, sitting on the steps leading into the building, along with the rest of their class.

"I never knew there were so many skanks on campus," Jessica sighed, when she noticed most girls were wearing sports bras and tiny, cutoff shorts.

"Hey, Jess?" Daniel began. "Who's that girl chattin' with Sierra?" He motioned to a platinum blond girl, wearing possibly less clothing than Sierra, who was gossiping with her in a high pitched, nasal voice.

"Kathrine Evans, her roommate," Jessica sighed, pulling a sour face.

"She eez _exactly_ like 'er," Bridgette added, her voice a hushed undertone.

"We saw her running around Davis last night, complaining about the Red Alert," Sean told them.

Just as Jessica was about to reply, a whistle broke through the chatter. To everyone's surprise, Ms. Konami stood in front of them.

"Alright everyone!" she shouted. "Professor Washington asked me to take you guys into the forest."

Several people began shouting in protest… or fear, more likely.

"Hold on a second!" Sierra shouted, in her loud, snitchy voice. "I thought the forest was crawling with those monster-things!"

"That's why we had that Red Alert last night," Ms. Melody replied, confirming it for them. "We were clearing them out."

"So, what, we can all just _stand around_ in a smelly forest while some _mental-case_ tries to teach us about plants?" Kathrine spat, disgusted.

Ms. Konami narrowed her eyes.

"Young lady, I will not have you bad-mouthing my colleagues. Professor Washington is highly renowned here at this school. He may be a bit odd, but I _will not_ have anyone insulting him, or any of the other teachers here. Am I clear?"

Kathrine and Sierra shut their mouths and glanced at each other, their faces flushed, as Ms. Konami turned to address the rest of the students.

"Stay with the group, listen to what the Professor has to say, and above all, _no horsing around_!" With that, she motioned for the group to follow her. She led them down the path and off the campus, straight across the field that separated the school buildings from the surrounding forests.

"What are we gonna be doing?" Matt asked, as they trailed her into the trees. Daniel smirked to himself.

"It's gonna be fun," he assured them.

"You know?!" his five friends asked simultaneously, expressions surprised. He grinned again, and shrugged ambiguously.

"Let's just say, it'll be an… _elevating_ experience."

About ten minutes later, Ms. Konami stopped at the foot of a large cliff.

"Everyone, gather around!" she called. "This campus is located where the Catskills Mountains meet the Poconos. In fact, the lake is the beginning of a tributary into the Hudson River. As such, there are numerous cliffs in the local area."

"_Rope_!"

Everyone jumped back as several brightly colored ropes fell down the cliff-side, coiling on the ground at its base. To everyone's astonishment, Professor Washington suddenly appeared, repelling down the rock wall.

"Greetings, minions!" he greeted, grinning as he hung from the rope, about a foot off the ground.

Once the initial shock had worn off, Ms. Konami and Washington proceeded to demonstrate the climbing equipment. To everyone's surprise, and for some curious reason, Daniel was as well versed in the use of it as Washington himself.

"Dude, how come you know so much?" Vash asked him, as he tied a Double Figure Eight knot.

"Captain Washington would sometimes bring me up here for the summer. I learned how to mountain climb on this very rock face," Daniel explained, smiling proudly.

"So you think you're pretty hot stuff then, right?" Jessica asked, her eyes glinting challengingly.

"Yes, I think I do," Daniel replied, smirking at her.

"Puh-_leeze_! You got nothing on _me_, Brooklyn Boy!" she sneered confidently, her hands propped on her hips.

"Is that a challenge?" Daniel inquired, surprised, raising one eyebrow as he snapped the rope he held a few times. She flicked her hair over her shoulder in response, pulling a face at him.

"Alright, everyone!" Washington announced. "Pair up."

Jessica instantly grabbed Bridgette and dragged her over to one of the ropes, while Daniel and Sean tied into the rope next to them, with Vash and Matt their other side of the girls.

"Now, when I say so," Washington began, "Begin climbing. Once you reach the top, Ms. Konami will tie you off so your partner can join you."

Daniel and Jessica glared at each other, sparks of rivalry flying between them.

"Go!" Washington shouted, and ten students began climbing up the rock face.

Jessica got off to a blazing start, overtaking Daniel quite quickly, who was moving very deliberately from handhold to foothold.

"I'll save ya a spot at the top!" she shouted down, grinning triumphantly before scurrying up another three feet. Daniel smiled knowingly to himself, before pulling himself up to the next handhold.

"I wouldn't be so hasty, Jess!" he called out, his tone playfully warning.

Meanwhile, back on the ground, Sean, Bridgette and Matt were belaying their partners up the cliff. Bridgette was flustered and panting as she tried to keep her rope taut. She could barely keep up with Jessica's speed. Matt, meanwhile, was standing there almost lazily. Vash was obviously in no rush, so neither was he. Sean had seemed to find a perfect rhythm with Daniel.

"You alright, Bridgette?" Sean asked, noticing that she was getting flustered and red-faced.

"I am – how you say? – _unuzed_ to zis."

"Hey, Jessica!" Matt called up to her, cupping his hand around his mouth. "Slow down; Bridge' looks like she's gonna pass out!"

However, the determined, driven Aussie didn't bother to listen, and she ploughed on ahead, with Daniel a few feet behind her. However, she paused for a moment, frozen where she clung to the rock wall.

"Where do I go from here?" she shouted, searching around with her fingers for a handhold.

"Told you ya shoulda slowed down!" Daniel jeered in amusement, as he passed her on the cliff-side.

"Hey, not fair!" she shouted, as Daniel continued his climb. "Bridgette, lower me down a bit!"

The exhausted exchange girl's fingers shook as she let out some of the rope attached to her harness, lowering Jessica down far enough until she was able to circumvent the rough patch, and continue climbing unobstructed. Sean and Matt looked over at Bridgett, worried.

"Bridge, you think you'll be able to climb up?" Matt asked, as he pulled out the slack in his rope.

"I will be fine; do not worry about me," she replied huffily, with a small smile.

"Up and over!" Daniel chimed triumphantly, as he latched onto the ledge at the top of the cliff.

"Need a hand?"

Looking up, he saw Ms. Konami standing over him, her hand extended towards him. He gladly accepted it, and she helped him over onto the ground. "I assume you know what to do now?" she guessed, as she clipped a carabineer onto the back of Daniel's harness.

"Yes ma'am. Am I tied on?" he asked, adjusting the ropes that ran down from his harness.

"It's all you kid," she replied, sticking her thumb up at him as she moved farther down along the cliff edge to help more of the students up.

"Sean, you ready?" Daniel called down, as he gripped the rope with both hands.

"What do I do?" Sean responded, realizing that Daniel had made it to the top already.

"Just start climbing; I'll belay you!"

With a small gulp, Sean began pulling himself up, using the natural handholds of the cliff face. Next to Daniel, Jessica had finally arrived at the top of the cliff.

"We'll still beat you!" she promised, and she began shouting instructions down to Bridgette.

"Get a move on; we don't want these idiots to beat us!"

Bridgette wordlessly began climbing up the cliff, with Matt and Sean flanking her on either side.

"You really need to stop pushing her so hard," Daniel chided, frowning as he noticed the exhausted look on Bridgette's face.

"Shut up, you! We'll make it to the top on our own," she snapped, before shouting down to Bridgette again. "C'mon, Frenchie; you can do better than that!"

The 'Frenchie' in question was about halfway up the cliff face; now a good fifty feet above the forest floor.

"You should pace yourself," Matt advised, as he leaned back on his feet to rest a moment.

"I… do not… want to disappoint… Jessica," Bridgette panted in reply. "She… eez counting... on me."

What happened next was completely unprecedented.

As Bridgette reached up to grab the next handhold, Jessica's feet skidded on the wet grass she was standing on. Simultaneously, the handhold Bridgette was clinging to gave way, crumbling to the earth below. Before anyone knew what had happened, she was free-falling, her shrieks echoing shrilly up the rock face.

She fell a few feet before Jessica caught herself. However, the damage was done. Bridgette spun around in circles on the rope, her eyes locking onto the ground so very far beneath her. Her eyes widened fearfully. The ground below her seemed to swirl in a massive vortex of color and sound. She screwed her eyes tightly shut, blocking out the world. She didn't even hear Matt and Sean calling out her name.

"Oh, God!" Jessica gasped, terrified, as she felt her feet slowly shifting, despite all the muscles in her legs straining against the forces of gravity, and her friend's dead-weight. "I-I'm _slipping_!"

Her breathing quickened as she watched her toes creeping closer to the edge of the cliff, against her will. She began hyperventilating, petrified that she would be pulled over, sending both of them to their impromptu deaths.

Suddenly, she felt someone tug firmly on the back of her harness, and a strong arm wrapped itself around her waist.

"Don't worry; I've got you."

It was Daniel. He had tied a knot in his rope, keeping Sean suspended next to Bridgette.

"Professor!" Daniel and Sean called together, grabbing the attention of Ms. Konami. She ran over to the trio, dodging and jumping over the ropes that criss-crossed all around them.

"Tie her off, Ms. Konami!" Daniel commanded quickly, as he strove to keep a level head.

"There're no more available lines! I'm going to secure her to you two," she replied, pulling out several carabineers from her pocket.

"Do it – Bridgette's clamming up!"

"I think she's afraid of heights," Matt called up. He and Sean had navigated their way over to the frightened girl, trying their best to calm her down.

With a series of small 'clicks', Ms. Konami stood back. Jessica's harness had been clipped into both Daniel and Vash's, stabilizing her a bit.

"What do we do now?" Jessica asked, as Daniel carefully let go of her.

"We need to get her back on the ground, but she might hurt herself if we do," Daniel grunted in response.

"What if we lower Matt and Sean down with her?" Vash suggested, steadying himself.

"Good idea."

Matt looked up as he heard the impending plan.

"You hear all that Sean? They're gonna lower the three of us down. We've gotta keep Bridgette safe!"

Sean nodded as he gently shook Bridgette's shoulder. "We're gonna get you down now, okay? Don't worry."

She didn't seem to hear them; she continued to babble away in rapid French.

"Ready?" Daniel shouted from the top of the cliff. Matt and Sean grabbed onto Bridgett's harness with one hand, and steadied her with the other, glancing up at him. The trio slowly began their descent to the ground, nervous that another slip could easily occur with any under- or over-estimated move. The two of them kept Bridgette from smashing against the rock-face, while continuing to provide words of encouragement for her.

At last, they felt their feet touch the moss-covered ground. They pulled Bridgette away from the cliff, and unbuckled her harness. She was trembling all over as she collapsed, weak-kneed, on a protruding rock. Matt put a comforting arm around her shoulders.

"It's alright, Bridge, you're down now. You don't need to be afraid."

She continued to hyperventilate quietly, her eyes blinking rapidly several times.

"Matthew… Sean…" she struggled to gasp.

"_Bridgette_!"

Out of nowhere, a tearful Jessica came bounding into sight, throwing her arms around the French girl in a massive hug that knocked the two boys aside.

"I'm _so_ sorry I did that! I swear I didn't mean to push you so hard!"

Bridgette returned her friend's embrace weakly. "No, eet eez okay. I should 'ave told you zat I was frightened of 'eights." The two friends began crying into each other's shoulders, unaware of the four boys standing around them.

()()()

"_Failed_?!" Jessica shouted in horror. Washington and Konami stood in front of the six students, Jessica and Bridgette both looking shocked.

"After the stunt you pulled, Jessica, I can't let either of you two pass for the day," Ms. Konami told her sternly.

"So you're gonna penalize us for Bridgette being afraid of heights?" she asked incredulously, motioning to her friend, whose trembling had only recently subsided.

"No, we're _penalizing_ you for racing, reckless endangerment, and for not following the rules," Washington told her flatly.

"And what, you're gonna give these four guys perfect scores?" Jessica spat.

"No, we're not," Ms. Konami replied, looking harassed and tired. "They _did_ do everything right, but they didn't get both partners up the cliff, so we're giving them C's."

"I can live with that," Matt interjected, only to be swatted by Vash for talking out of turn.

"Another thing," Washington continued. "It's obvious that you two need more lessons before you can come back here to try and boost your grade."

The two girls perked up at this.

"Yes, I'm giving you two the opportunity to turn your F into a real grade. But until then, you need a tutor."

"Someone who knew what they were doing," Ms. Konami agreed. Both their eyes fell on Daniel.

"Wait, what?" he asked, backing up, eyes wary.

"It's official. Daniel will help you two with your climbing," Washington decided happily.

"I agree. He seems to be very capable. We'll give you a copy of the key to the rock wall room, so you can practice in your own time."

"When did I become their tutor?" Daniel asked, still confused.

"Just now boy-o," Washington replied with a subtle smirk.

"Now, will you four kindly escort these ladies back to campus?" Ms. Konami asked, in a voice that left no room for argument. "I think that's enough excitement for one day."

()()()

"I am _so_ sorry, Jessica," Bridgette sighed unhappily, as the six of them trudged back to campus. "I should 'ave been braver."

"Don't talk like that," Jessica replied scornfully, throwing a friendly arm around her shoulders and giving her a light squeeze. "I shouldn't have been so hard on you."

"E-hem," Vash cleared his throat pointedly.

"What?" Jessica asked.

"I think you owe someone _else_ an apology, too," he replied, jabbing his thumb towards Daniel.

"Alright," Jessica sighed reluctantly. She crossed her arms over her chest, scowling at the wall as an internal battle raged between her pride and her conscience. Finally, she took a deep breath. "Daniel, I'm sorry I was such a jerk. What happened today was my fault; I let myself get carried away."

"It's nothing big, Jess," Daniel replied lightly, folding his hands behind his head. He shrugged his shoulders. "Everyone gets carried away at _some_ point."

"And sank _you_ az well," Bridgette agreed, taking Daniel's hands in her own and kissing him lightly on both cheeks. His face began to redden with embarrassment as Sean, Vash and Matt burst into laughter.

"What did I do, again?" he asked vaguely, trying to suppress the blush flushing down his neck.

"You _saved our lives_, Lover Boy," Jessica scowled, rolling her eyes in disgust.

"I am een your debt," Bridgette added solemnly.

"Wish she was in _my_ debt," Matt muttered, dodging another of Vash's swipes.

"Wait, does that mean I have to kiss him, too?" Jessica asked, horrified by the idea. The three boys and Bridgett laughed before taking off across the grassy field, heading back towards Davis Hall.

"Get back here, you four, before I show you how we take care of business Down Under!" Jessica yelled, laughing.

"Wouldn't mind seeing that!" Matt shouted back, before earning his due smack upside the head from Vash.

()()()

Jason and Melody watched the six students run back towards campus, their laughter faint on the early afternoon air.

"They'll make a good team," Melody commented, adjusting her climbing harness. "They've just got some wrinkles to iron out."

"And I know _just_ how to do it," Washington replied, with a cryptic smile.

* * *

The stage is nearing completion for IT. Just a few more chapters, and everyone's minds are getting blown out of their heads. Just need to finalize a few things.


	8. Chapter 8

I am SO SORRY this update took half a month. Writing it was a bitch, then i had to get rid of my old laptop. My bad. But, i do hope this one makes up for it.

I'm gonna begin to dedicate certain chapters to some authors who've really made an impact on this story.

This chapter's dedicated to Tomahawk 3.0. Alright dude, it's obvious you know who isn't IT. But i hope this is a descent constelation

* * *

The sun was setting behind the mountains around the Institute. The falling light cast long shadows along the ground, a harbinger for the approaching darkness. However, this did not keep groups of students from dashing across the shadowy lawn, dressed in an all manner of bed wear.

"They've got movie night here!" Matt shouted, as their small gang skidded into the main building, dressed in a plain white T-shirt and basketball shorts.

"This _is_ the Mew Institute," Vash reminded him, rearranging his grip on the pillows he was carrying.

"Yeah; this school is defiantly unique," Sean informed them, his slippers flopping against the polished granite floor. Daniel, Jessica and Bridgette were the last ones to come in, with Hawkeye right on their heels.

"This is gonna be a great way to unwind," Jessica sighed, as she stretched her arms over her head, her shirt riding up and revealing a little of her stomach.

"Especially after that fiasco during gym," Daniel sighed, scratching Hawkeye's ears. He gasped, realizing what he'd just said.

"Eet eez alright Daniel," Bridgette replied with a smile. "I will do better next time."

"Yeah, me too," Jessica added, still a little shame-faced. The others appropriately said nothing.

"Alright, so what movie should we watch?" Sean asked, as the six of them went up to the movie listing. It was a sheet of paper tacked to a pillar, which listed all the movies playing, and which rooms they could be found in.

"Jurassic Park is a classic," Daniel suggested.

"Can we see a _horror_ film?" Matt asked eagerly, looking over some of the more gruesome titles. Bridgette and Jessica both backed up, looking horrified and mildly disgusted.

"No horror movies," they refused firmly.

"Then Jurrasic Park it is," Vash reasoned.

"Wait, isn't _that_ a horror movie?" Jessica asked, eyes widening.

"Oh yeah, cuz everyone knows a _Velociraptor_ is the leading cause of deaths in America," Matt sniped scornfully.

"Shut up, you!" Jessica snapped, stomping on his foot.

"We could watch something else," Daniel suggested, ignoring Matt hopping around in pain.

"No, I think I can manage a night of dinosaurs," she replied scathingly, as Matt slipped on the floor, landing face-first at Bridgette's feet. With a small 'eep', she jumped back, plastering the front of her nightgown against her legs, before Matt could sneak a peek.

"Matt, I swear sometimes you do that on purpose," Sean scolded, as Matt picked himself up off the floor.

"Shut up, man. I like girls, end of story," he retorted, as the two of them ran to catch up with the others.

"One of these days, your pervertedness is gonna get you killed, Matt," Jessica told him lightly, pulling her ponytail out of her hair.

"Why do girls spend so much time on their hair?" Daniel asked curiously, watching Jessica run her fingers through her tresses.

"Because there's a lot of it, and girls like to be clean, fresh and good-looking," Jessica replied simply, retying her ponytail and pulling the elastic tight.

"Most guys can barely deal with a five minute shower," Vash said conversationally, as they entered the screening room. Bridgette wrinkled her nose in faint disgust.

"Why _do_ girls take so long in the shower?" Daniel inquired again.

Jessica shot him a dirty look. "Girls have more to clean than boys, so stop there before you get yourself in trouble."

"So you're really just…"

"I said _shut up_!" Jessica pounced, and smacked him over the back of the head.

"Will the _two_ of you shut up?" someone snapped. "Ugh, I can't _stand_ whiny freshmen!"

A short girl with messy brown hair was leaning against the wall. "Why they wanted me to chaperone you freshies, I'll never know."

"Oh, shut up, Tanith."

"You first, Jackie!"

Two older teenage girls stood in the corner of the room, one lounging against a stack of pillows and blankets, the other standing tensely, arms crossed, looking peeved.

"Well, come on; we don't have all night!" the standing girl spat, spinning a disk on her finger. The six of them, along with a range of other students, sat down on the floor. Daniel grabbed some blankets, handing them out to his friends.

"Alright, you all know that we're showing Jurassic Park in here, right?" Tanith double-checked, as Jackie began setting up the player. Everyone nodded or vocally agreed, and Tanith turned off the lights. One girl shrieked childishly, making the rest of the students either groan or laugh. "I'm putting the movie on now," Jackie announced, as the TV flickered to life.

Daniel lay stomach down on the floor, a few feet away from the TV. Hawkeye lah down next to his master, resting his head down on the corner of his pillow. Jessica sat down next to them, wrapping a blanket around her shoulders, while the other four sat in various spots around the room. The movie began, just as a peal of thunder silenced the chatting students.

"Good thing it didn't rain earlier," Daniel sighed, as he rested his head on his palms.

"Right," Jessica agreed shakily.

"Um, Jess?" Daniel whispered, as the movie opened. "You alright? The movie hasn't even started yet."

"I'm fine," she whispered back, drawing the blanket tighter around her.

However, as the movie progressed, it was apparent she was not 'fine'. She continued to whimper throughout the opening scene, burying her head in the blanket as the worker was savaged by the hidden raptor. She calmed down during the long lull in the plot, as the scientists traveled to Isla Nubar. However she suppressed a scream as she watched a cow get fed to a nest of dinosaurs.

"Jess, you really don't have to watch this," Daniel told her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I told you, I'm--" Her retort was drowned out as the T-Rex made his startling appearance in the movie. Jessica squeaked, and grabbed Daniel's arm, wrapping both her hands around his wrist in a vice-like death grip.

"This is ridiculous," Tanith sighed, as more girls screamed as the lawyer became a snack. "Jackie, I--" Turning around, Tanith noticed the other girl had vanished. Taking a quick look around and making sure all of the students were quiet, she slunk out the door, hell-bent on tracking her down.

What Tanith didn't notice was Jessica tip-toeing out behind her, heading the opposite way down the hall. She was shaken up and nervous. And desperately in need of a 'relief.' With a sigh, she found the girls bathroom. It was empty, and smelled strongly of cleaning solvent. The stench made her eyes water as she opened one of the stalls.

As she sat down, she began brooding over everything that had happened today. From the mountain climbing, down to the movie. For some reason, she wasn't being herself. Why was she being so weak lately?

There was a loud crack of thunder, and the lights flickered. Jessica gasped. Just then, the lights went out. Her heart hammering in her chest, Jessica peered slowly out from behind the stall door.

"It's alright, Jessica," she whispered to herself. "Just a power outage. Just wash your hands, and get back to the others."

She walked over to the sink and turned on the water. As she put her hands under the warm stream, her eyes darted around nervously. They came to rest on the mirror, fixing themselves on the image of the window behind her. She could see the lashing rain against the pane, as it beat a steady rhythm against the glass.

A fork of lightning darted across the sky, illuminating the pitch black for a split second. Jessica froze, eyes glued to the mirror, wide with horror at what she saw.

()()()

"Fix the movie!" Matt shouted, after the TV went dark.

"Well, _you_ get down here and help us, then!" Sean snapped back, as he, Vash, and a few other guys inspected the TV.

"Everyone!" one of the girls, Niome shouted over the loud collection of voices, pointing to the back of the room at the emergency light.

"What? It's off!" Sierra scoffed.

"You can't turn those lights off by a switch," Daniel pointed out.

"Guys, the _entire campus_ is black," Vash announced, looking out the window.

"Like you," Matt joked.

"This isn't funny!" Sean shouted. "I think it's a blackout."

The girls screamed at the realization.

"Everyone, shut up!" Daniel shouted, jumping up on a chair. "Look, this isn't a big deal. First off, where's those two upper classmen? I think one of them's named Jackie."

"I saw one of them leave earlier," Niome informed him.

"Alright, so let's all just stay calm, and stay where we are. I'm sure the power will be back on in no time."

"Wait, where eez Jessic?," Bridgette asked in alarm, finally speaking up.

"She went to the bathroom midway through the--"

An ear piercing scream cut Daniel off.

"What was that?" Sierra demanded, her expression frozen.

"_That_ was Jessica," Daniel realized, jumping off the chair, and sprinting from the room. He was followed by Sean and another girl; a pale, broad-shouldered girl with a grim look on her face. The trio skidded to a halt outside the girl's bathroom. The accompanying girl burst in, and looked around quickly.

"You guys better get in here!" she called.

Daniel rushed past her, determined to get to Jessica. He found her curled up against the sinks, shaking all over, her eyes wide with fright.

"Jessica -- Jess," he whispered, shaking her gently.

"Daniel," she moaned, eyes focusing on him. Suddenly she grabbed onto him, hugging him close.

"There's something out there!" she cried, wrapping her hands tighter around hiswaist.

"What's out there?" Sean asked, as the other girl peered out the window.

"A big m-monster. I think it's a w-werewolf," Jessica stammered, tears streaming down her face.

"Daniel, what do you think?" Sean asked, as Daniel helped her to her feet.

"If something _is_ out there, then we're in trouble."

Jessica stumbled, leaning against Daniel for support.

"I... I don't think I can walk," she whispered in horror, looking down at her shaky legs.

"Here, don't worry," Daniel whispered back, scooping her up bridal style. Jessica wrapped her arms around his neck, glancing up at him, half grateful, half ashamed.

"We need to stay together," the other girl announced, holding the door open for Daniel and Jessica.

"Thanks for your help," Sean said.

"Don't worry about it. I'm Regan, by the way. Regan Valkov."

"Cool. I'm Daniel, and this is Sean, and Jessica."

"I kinda figured the last one out." Jessica blushed, embarrassed by her weakness.

"It's possible it was a Chimera Animal," Sean said thoughtfully, as they walked back to the movie room.

"Highly possible. And with the power outage, it would have no problem sneaking in close to the campus," Daniel agreed.

"And we don't have any Mews around to combat it," Regan informed them grimly. Daniel sighed, as they opened the door to the movie room. Vash and Matt had been able to keep relative calm, though there were several girls crying hysterically.

"Everyone, we have a problem," Daniel announced, as he sat Jessica down gently on the floor. "There's a Chimera Animal stalking around the building."

Predictably, the girls began screaming.

"_Shut up!_" Regan roared, bashing her fist against the wall a few times to get everyone's attention.

"We don't know if the thing has found a way into the building. And we're relatively defenseless right now," Daniel reported.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Sierra snapped, putting her hands on her hips. Daniel sighed, before continuing.

"I'm gonna try and make a break for the dorms. Hopefully, I can track down the Captain, or Toreko-sensei, or someone."

"Wait, why don't we just call them?" Niome suggested, pulling out her cell phone. "I don't have any reception!" she gasped.

"This storm must be blocking our signals," Matt realised.

"But I've got the best provider money can buy," Sierra complained, pouting.

"This high in the mountains, _everyone's_ service is iffy," Matt pointed out.

"And I'd never ask anyone to do anything I wouldn't do myself," Daniel told them matter-of-factly.

"Daniel," Jessica began uneasily, as Bridgette carefully helped her to her feet.

Daniel smiled knowingly at her. "I'll be fine, Jess. Don't worry about me." Hawkeye came bounding up to him, barking desperately. Daniel picked his dog up, and handed him to Jessica, who was still frowning unhappily.

"Protect everyone, Hawkeye. I'm counting on you."

With that, Daniel turned, and walked out the door.

()()()

He had underestimated the severity of the rain. Daniel was bent over nearly double in the torrential rain and lashing wind. He'd never experienced rain like this in Brooklyn. It hampered his vision worse than the inky blackness that surrounded him. His pajamas were soaked clean through, his flip flops caked with mud. Now he was regretting ever offering to get help.

Not seeing where he was going, he stepped off the path, onto the slippery grass. With a garbled cry, he slipped, falling face down on the damp earth. He felt a lance of pain streak across his left arm as he tried to break his fall. With a groan of pain, he tried to pick himself up off the wet grass. Lifting his head, he struggled to suppress a cry of fear. Standing on the back of a bench, not twenty feet away from him, was a tall silhouette, obscured by the pouring rain.

A fork of lightning illuminated the area around him, bringing the silhouette into stark contrast. A cry of fear tangled itself in Daniel's throat. It stood over eight feet tall, without the added height of the bench. It was covered in pitch black fur, though it hardly concealed the rippling wall of sinew and muscle that made up the creature's frame. It's long, pointed snout opened up to reveal row after row of sharp, canine teeth. It's piercing red eyes locked onto Daniel. He felt as if it was boring a hole into his very soul.

He couldn't remember when he stood up, but the next thing he knew, he was running for his life. He could hear the crushing footsteps of the beast behind him, though he dared not look back. Terror had given his feet wings; he ran much faster than he ever had before. Yet he could still hear the monster behind him. Never before had such primordial terror gripped Daniel's heart. Only sheer will and the desire to live kept him moving.

Without realizing it, Daniel chanced a single glance behind him, to gauge the distance between them. Big mistake. The sight of the beast's piercing red eyes, frothing mouth, and raking claws drove another stake of fear into his soul. This had another effect. Without watching where he was going, Daniel ran off a steep incline, his foot getting caught sharply between two rocks. With a garbled cry of pain, Daniel fell head over heels down the slope. He finally came to a stop at the tangled roots of a tree. Sharp pain laced its way across his ankle, arm, and various other parts of his body. Daniel screwed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the creature that would end his short life.

"Daniel! Daniel!" a motherly voice called out to him, piercing the veil of fear he had erected. Slowly he opened his eyes, for fear of what he might find. After making sure his body was still intact, he directed his gaze upward. There, at the top of the slope, a figure stood, her bright yellow poncho flapping in the wind. The voice sounded very familiar.

"Toreko-sensei," Daniel groaned, his body still afire with pain.

"Daniel!" she shouted, before she bounded down the hill. She ran over to him and knelt down next to him, ignoring the mud and muck.

"You're alright! Thank God," she sobbed, as she cradled his head in her arms.

Toreko's natural warmth radiated into Daniel's wet, cold body. Everything that just happened hit him like a sledgehammer. He'd almost _died_. That realization froze him momentarily, before he broke down in sobs. He didn't speak, just wrapped his arms around Toreko-sensei, and buried his head in her chest. She didn't seem to mind; she held him tight, stroking his wet hair.

"Everything's going to be fine, Daniel-kun," she whispered soothingly.

Daniel was aware of her, of her warmth. Then he became aware of other people, each one speaking in a different tone. Some of them were familiar, but he couldn't match voices to names. Then he felt strong hands lift him up, holding him like a child. He was vaguely aware of the pain that still radiated through him, but it seemed distant, as if it wasn't really his.

And at some point, everything faded. The voices, the hands, the pain.

It all faded into a vortex of darkness.

* * *

YES uber sweet ending. THis is a personal favorite of mine. Just cuz it's so off my style.

And remember, i'm always looking for NEW Mews. See the script at the end of the first chapter for details


	9. Chapter 9

After a LONG hiatus, I"M BACK!!!

I noes, i left you all off on a HORRIBLE cliffhanger. BUT, i'm back.

This next chapter is dedicated to: sakuuya. The author who taught me the meaning of 'Tough love' but who has been a real help for me. THis chapter's dedicated to you and your oringal OC from BNB.

* * *

Atsuko Yubari sat in her office, hands propped up on her chin, eyes locked with the two seniors sitting across from her.

"Jackie Moto, I can't believe you," she sighed, massaging her temples. "You were told to watch them while the movie was going, and control anything that might have happened." Jackie winced as Atsuko raised her voice.

"Yet you _insisted _on skirting your duties to go make out with your boyfriend on the roof!"

"Yubari-sensei," Jackie began. She was silenced by the teacher slamming her fist on the desk.

"And now one of our freshman is lying in Medical, critically injured and unconscious! I swear, if he had been attacked, your ass would have been in my hands!"

Jackie didn't say a thing, as Atsuko simmered down.

"Right now, the rest of Ranger Squad is trying to track that monster from last night. Bo, you're the strongest Mew we have right now; I want you and Scout to be on twenty-four-hour guard duty until we get the sensory array back up."

Bo nodded grimly, stood up, and walked out. "What about me?" Jackie asked meekly. Atsuko sighed.

"While Daniel _technically _didn't get attacked under your jurisdiction, this entire mess could have been avoided if you had just stuck to your post." She glared at Jackie. "Therefore, until Daniel is out of Medical and back up to one hundred percent, I'm pulling you from active duty." Jackie nodded glumly, and stood.

"I'm not done yet," Atsuko continued. "You still need to be punished, so I'm putting you _and _Tanith Kershaw as co-coordinators for the Fall Carnival."

Jackie's face fell, astonished that Atsuko would have sunk so low. She nodded, and sprinted from her office, petrified that she would continue with her punishments. Atsuko chuckled a bit, savoring in her small victory, but stopped, as soon as she remembered why Jackie had been punished. A small knock on the door snapped her out of her mental reprieve. Looking up, she saw Ame Toreko leaning against the door, knuckles still resting against the polished wood surface.

"You feeling alright, Atsuko-chan?" she asked, before walking in. Atsuko groaned, leaning back in her chair.

"It's not easy being the coordinator for campus defense. Or being the only battle-experienced Mew on campus."

"Well, at least you're not alone at night," Ame whispered, sitting down on the arm of Atsuko's chair, stroking her black hair seductively.

"Not right now, Ame; I'm still on duty." However, Atsuko reached up, and tugged Ame's ear down to her mouth. "My room, midnight tonight. I'd bring a spare change of underwear." Ame giggled like a school girl.

"So do you have a real reason as to why you're in my office right now?" Atsuko asked, as Ame got up off her chair.

"Oh right," she started, jolted back to her intentions. "Ryou-san's just arrived." Atsuko shot up, walking towards the door.

"I didn't think he'd be here that quick," she replied, already down the hall, with Ame trotting at her heels.

"Well, Kisshu and Pai are with him."

"So he teleported."

The two teachers left the Humanities building and made their way over to the Student Center. Along the way, they met up with Melody, passing through from the Bio-Chem building.

"Well, the students are somewhat calm," she reported, joining them. "Thankfully Jack and Adam are up here from Brooklyn; they said they'll look after things."

"Jack and Adam?" Atsuko inquired.

"So that means..." Ame continued, her mind working quickly.

"Only Masaya's here. Liz was in Chicago when it happened."

With a sigh, Atsuko opened the door to the Student Center. There, they found Aoyama Masaya, leaning against the deserted receptionist desk.

"Masaya," Atsuko greeted.

"It's been a while," he replied, looking up. "Hasn't it?"

"I wish we could have reunited under better circumstances," Ame sighed.

The four old friends stood there, silent.

"Well, we'd better go up now," Melody announced, pushing the button on the elevator. With a ding, the elevator arrived at their floor, and they filed in wordlessly. After a swift ascent, they arrived at the Medical Floor. It was a long, white hallway that reminded Atsuko of a hospital. It reeked strongly of disinfectant. At one end of the hall, she saw several figures standing outside a room.

"Good, you're all here," Murasaki called, as the four of them drew level. She was standing nervously against the wall, with Kyra, Adam's wife, standing next to her. Across from them, Ryou Shirogane sat, with Pai standing next to him, while Kisshu floated, bored, next to them. The final figure, was Jason, sitting as still as a statue, his chin in his hands, his gaze almost boring a hole in the door.

"Ryou," Atsuko began. "I haven't seen you in a long time."

Ryou stood up, and shook hands with her. Pai acknowledged her with a nod, while Kisshu waved a lazy hello.

Suddenly, the door opened, and out walked Mika. She was dressed in a white lab coat, peeling rubber gloves off her hands. She sighed, as Kisshu floated over to her and took her hand.

"How's he doing?" Jason asked, standing up immediately. Mika turned to him.

"His life isn't in any danger. He sprained his wrist and ankle, and has a nasty cut on his left arm. I've been trying to keep it from getting infected. To top it all off, he's got a slight fever." Jason groaned, and sank back down.

"Don't worry Jason-kun," Murasaki began, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Daniel's a strong kid. He'll get better."

"You know how much he means to me," Jason spat, looking down, to avoid making any eye contact.

"He means a lot to us all," Masaya replied. "Elizabeth began crying when I told her what happened."

"Have you told Zakuro yet?" Atsuko asked. Ryou answered.

"No, only Kisshu, Pai and myself are aware of the attack."

"Do you know what caused it?" Pai asked. Before Atsuko could answer, Mika held up a hand.

"Before we get into that, we have one other issue," she announced, drawing their attention. She led them to the room next door, and slowly opened the door. Inside, five students lay sprawled out on the couches and armchairs inside the waiting room. Mika knelt down to one girl, and patted her shoulder gently.

"Jess... Jessica," she whispered, waking her.

"Professor?" she whispered groggily, still half asleep. Mika flashed a motherly smile, before helping the girl up from her chair.

"You guys have been here all night; you should really go back to your rooms."

"What about--" Jessica's yawn cut off her question.

"Daniel's resting now, he'll be alright," Mika told her.

"We're bro's, man!" Matt shouted indignantly from his couch, before rolling off it and landing on the floor.

"We don't wanna leave," Jessica added firmly, before yawning again.

"What about Hawkeye?" Melody asked. Jessica and the others suddenly woke up a bit.

"Pai-san," Mika began. "Can you please escort Miss Jessica and Miss Bridgette down to their rooms. They have a Golden Retriever/Bloodhound mix puppy they need to pick up."

Pai was surprised at this request.

"Meanwhile," Mika continued. "You boys can get some real sleep upstairs in the guest rooms. We'll call you if Daniel wakes up."

Pai sighed as he escorted the two yawning girls from the room. Meanwhile, Mika rounded the three boys together.

"I'll meet you guys in the lounge soon," she said, as she guided the three boys upstairs. Kisshu sighed, floating towards the elevators.

"This is why I love that woman," he announced to everyone. "So affectionate, so motherly, but once you take off her clothe–-nh!"

Any further fantasies were promptly cut off by Ryou chopping him across the throat. Kisshu dove straight into a coughing fit, while the remainder of them piled into the elevator.

"So how's the Academy doing without their valiant leader gone?" Kyra asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Keiichiro said he and Zakuro would keep an eye on everything." Jason made a small sound, like a cross between a hiccup and a snort.

"Pai, Kisshu and I plan on remaining here until Daniel wakes up and the investigation gets underway."

"If Daniel was attacked by a new form of Chimera Anima, then it is imperative that we find some means of countering it," Pai added, as the elevator reached the basement.

Sounds of laughter and chatter floated in from next door. Being Saturday, the student lounge was packed with people. Some of them were Freshman, learning the ropes of pool for the first time, while most were upper-classmen, unwinding after a hectic night. However, as the teachers walked past, some of the students stopped, and peered after them.

"Was that?"

"It was!"

"Damn they've got big ears," Ryou muttered.

"Shirogane!"

"It's _Ryou Shirogane_!" the students whispered among themselves, all astonished at the sudden presence of the well-known head of the Mew Network.

Ryou smirked to himself as the teachers settled down in the main lounge.

"You're quite the celebrity, Ryou," Masaya commented.

"Among the Mews and smart-people, yes," Ryou replied, sinking into an armchair. "Among the idiots, especially former members of The League, I'm the devil incarnate."

"So what does that make Ichigo?" Jason sniped.

"Your daddy," Ryou replied smoothly. Everyone snickered at the response, while Jason frowned and narrowed his eyes.

"Can we get on with this!" he snapped, pulling a folder out from his bag.

Inside were several photos, taken by the investigative team after Daniel was found. There were footprints, claw marks, and hair.

"My Bio-Tech students are analyzing the hair we found," Melody announced.

"And I've got the Delta Team working on these footprints and claw marks," Atsuko added.

"Do we know anything else?" Pai inquired.

Any response was cut off by a series of loud knocks on the door.

"Ma'am, William Richards, present to report on the current investigation!"

"We'll know something very soon," Atsuko replied quietly, as she got up and opened the door. William Richards was a tall, lanky senior, with dark brown hair neatly parted down the middle, and a small, thin moustache, curled at both ends. He snapped promptly to attention and saluted, tucking the cane he held under his arm like a pace stick.

"Ma'am, completed my rounds from the Old Mine back down to the relay station!" Atsuko nodded, and ushered him in. Everyone else stared in slight alarm.

"E-gad!" As soon as William caught sight of Ryou and Pai sitting at the table, he sprung to attention, back stiff as a pole, chest out, eyes straight forward. "It is an honor to meet you sah`s!" he exclaimed at the top of his lungs. "William Richards reporting for duty sah`s! Third member of Ranger Squad, alias Mew Leptor, infused with the Artic Hare, _sah_!" He snapped his heels together and stood still.

Pai and Ryou were both astonished at his enthusiasm and discipline.

"At ease, William," Atsuko told him, ignoring his antics. William let out a breath, and promptly sat in a chair.

"Thank you ma'am; didn't think I could hold it much longer."

"What do you have to report?" Atsuko asked sternly. William took the hint and withdrew several photos.

"These were just printed," he announced, placing them on the table. "I completed my scouting, up from the Old Mine, down to the power relay station at the edge of campus." Ryou and Pai both looked slightly confused.

"Sorry, sah," William continued. "The lake is fed by an underground river that emerges into an old mine. It was an iron mine back in the 1800's, but it's obsolete now. The collapsing timber supports allowed the aforementioned river a place to emerge."

"When the school was built," Jason continued, "A series of backup generators were installed up at the mine. In the event of a power failure, the generators switch on, and can give us enough power to run the Student Center and the emergency sensors."

"Right-o, sah," William replied. "It turns out the relay station was stuck by lightning, which explains the blackout last night."

"But that doesn't explain why the sensors went under," Murasaki injected.

"Which is why Bo told me to investigate the mine. All the equipment is working perfectly," William continued. "_However--_" he paused. "I followed the cables back down to the station, and discovered... _this._"

He held up one photo, displaying a small trench dug in the ground, and several multi-colored cables, slashed.

"We specifically coated those cables!" Atsuko protested. "In a special gel that makes them scentless. _And_ we buried them three feet underground, so no animal could accidentally dig them up!"

"Ma'am," William interrupted, his voice quiet and serious. "I don't think this was an accident. I found these cables hidden under several ferns."

No one dared speak.

"This was a deliberate, planned attack on our school," Ame eventually gasped.

"But," Murasaki protested. "But who could have planned something like this?"

"And a better question," Atsuko added. "Why did they go after one freshman, when we, the teachers, are a much better target?"

* * *

I'm really bad with you guys, aren't i?

Well, it was a long chap, and i KNOW you guys want more.

And fyi, i don't 'hide my lesbians'

We are approaching IT, so everyone hang on to your seats


	10. Chapter 10

It's time for another round of lightning fast updates. IT is approaching, and we, 'me and my partner' want this done soon. Don't worry, next chapter'll fill the gap in the plot. But it's not IT!

This chapter's dedication: To anyone who'se ever felt that the world was too much for them to handle. I know what it's like. But don't fear, youre never trully alone. Seek, and you shall find, ask, and it shall be given. Never, ever, give up

* * *

It had been a long week for Jessica.

When she and the others returned to Davis Hall on Sunday evening, after being chased out of Daniel's ward by Kisshu on Mika's orders, the Freshman student body swarmed them. Word must have gotten around about Daniel's attack, and every girl on the third floor crowded around her. Even Sierra was hammering on her door, demanding to know exactly what had happened in the bathroom that night.

However, Jessica had some incredible friends. Regan Valkov, her fellow freshman, vocally threatened anyone who _dared_ harass her. Niomi Jenson from downstairs, offered to 'cheer her up'. However, she smelt bizarrely of singed hair, so Jessica politely declined.

In all of the excitement of the weekend, Jessica and Bridgette forgot to finish their English homework, so they were forced to hand in half-completed summaries of the stories they were supposed to have read. That netted them a three hour detention with Atsuko-sensei, in which they helped her review thesis papers from the seniors. On the way back to the dorms, they ran into Mr. Washington and Pai, engrossed in a heated discussion of some sorts.

Tuesday brought with it a particularly nasty surprise, revealing that Ryou Shirogane was their lecturer for Biology.

Shirogane-sensei was a particularly cruel taskmaster, demanding absolute attention to himself and his slides. One upside to the lecture was watching Sierra and Katharine get put in their places by the blond man for texting each other in class. However, the one-thousand-word essay they had to complete instantly took the wind out of Jessica's sails.

Wednesday was a tad slower, Math being interrupted by a testing of the emergency sensors. Somehow, Sierra managed to corner her after the lecture.

"Alright Kangaroo Girl,_ spill!_" Sierra demanded, forcing her up against the wall. On any other day, Jessica would have decked her full in the mouth. Being the youngest of four children, three of which were older brothers, she'd grown up knowing how to deal a decent hit. However, the past five days of minimal sleep, overwhelming work and sparse meals were taking their toll on her, and the fight ebbed out of her.

"Something happened last Saturday, and I wanna know what!" Sierra continued, shoving her face up close to Jessica's.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Jess snapped, trying to put up some sort of resistance.

"Puh-lease!" Sierra scoffed. "I _know_ a juicy story when I see one, and you've got one. Now _spill!_"

Right then and there, something akin to an explosion went off, just outside the building. Sierra shrieked, loosening her grip on Jessica and giving her ample time to slip away. Sprinting across the lawn, the Australian caught sight of Niomi, hiding around the corner of the building, a smoldering, cardboard box at her feet. She flashed Jessica a quick thumbs up, to which Jessica returned a grateful smile, before running in the opposite direction.

Somewhere between Davis Hall and the Bio-Tech building, Jessica made up her mind.

She had reached her limit.

Everything was just happening _too_ fast for her, and she could barely keep up. Upon entering her room, she threw her bag down on her bed, and reached into the back of her closet, pulling out a draw sting bag. Throwing it over her shoulders, she momentarily sat down on the bed, removing her shoes and socks, and pulling on a pair of flip flops.

Bridgette wasn't around. Jessica assumed she was up at the Student Center with the boys, as usual.

"Visiting Daniel," she muttered quietly to herself. Shaking her head, she left her room. It wasn't that she didn't care about him; it was just that everything was absolutely crazy-hectic right now. And if she didn't do something about it, she would inevitably do something she would regret. Like the time she laid out a girl in school because she made fun of Jessica's 'tomboyishness.'

Jessica's luck seemed to have changed since she managed to get away from Sierra, considering the entire campus was deserted. Not a soul was around as she made her way into the gym. A polite receptionist in the lobby directed her to the girls' locker room, and rented her out a locker. Descending two flights of stairs, Jessica entered the girls' locker room, and swiftly changed out of her clothes. She hastily pulled on her dark blue bathing suit, and slung a big, puffy white towel around her neck. Tossing her stuff into the locker, she walked quietly from the locker room. Her body language had changed sufficiently. She was no longer tense – wound like a tightened spring. Now, she was in her element, and she could relax.

The familiar smell of chlorine hit Jessica like a wall. She stood at the door to the locker room, looking at a massive, ten-lane pool. The water was clear to the bottom, presenting a distorted, but un-obstructed view of the beautifully tiled pool floor. Several dozen**day beds** lined the walls, identical in design and colour. Jessica tossed her towel onto one, and dropped her flip flops at the foot of it.

She walked to the far end of the pool, standing on the edge of the cement floor. Several holes in the floor were obvious supports for the removable stands used in racing. With one fluid motion, Jessica dove into the pool, her body cutting the surface with scarcely a splash. Instinct took over, and she propelled herself forward, kicking hard with her legs. Every other thought was stripped from her mind – leaving only those associated with swimming. Her mind was trained acutely to her task.

Beneath the surface of the water was an entirely different world for her. All outside noises were muffled, or muted altogether. Jessica felt weightless, free, like she was tied to no-one and burdened by nothing. It was as if she was soaring though the cool fluid, towards the other end of the pool.

Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone else, in the next lane over, swimming towards the edge of the pool. Her natural racer's instinct took over; she kicked her legs harder, in an attempt to beat this new challenger. Her arm reached out to touch the pool wall, just as her head broke the surface.

"Wow, you're really fast!" Jessica looked over into the other lane, and was astonished. "Ms. Konami!" she exclaimed, trying to catch her breath.

"Guilty as charged," she replied, smiling a bit. Jessica was astounded and confused. It was certainly Ms. Konami, their Bio teacher, but she almost completely opposite from how she usually was in class. She seemed relaxed, playful, as she floated on her back, spitting a fountain of water into the air, a far cry from her usual, strict self.

"So what brings you down to the pool?" Ms. Konami asked, eyes focused on the ceiling. "Planning on joining the swim team?"

"No, not really," Jessica replied, meek and quiet, feeling suddenly out of place now that her solitude had been imposed upon.

"Something on your mind?" Konami asked, catching onto Jessica's tone of voice.

"Just some self-esteem issues; nothing important."

Ms. Konami righted herself, and treaded over to Jessica.

"Self-esteem is an important thing, especially for someone your age," she argued. "What's up?" Jessica looked down, away from her teacher, and stared at her distorted reflection in the water.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Daniel, would it?"

Jessica blinked, and looked back up at her, a mixture of surprise, suspicion and shock distorting her face. Ms. Konami winked slyly, aware of what was going through Jessica's mind.

"How 'bout some girl talk, Jess? It might help you out."

The two of them pulled themselves out of the pool, and sat down on the reclining chairs, drying themselves off.

"I've just had a long weekend, that's all, and… everything's all confused."

"Why's that?" Konami asked, lying down on the reclining lounge chair.

"Well, I just don't know if I'm really cut out for this Mew business."

Konami looked up at her, and smiled knowingly.

"If that's all you're worried about, then there's no problem."

"How can there be no problem!" Jessica demanded, standing up. "On Friday I nearly _killed _Bridgette, I had an emotional breakdown in the middle of the girl's bathroom, and now Daniel's up in the Medical Ward 'cause I wasn't strong enough to help him out!"

Jessica stopped shouting, panting hard, stinging tears blurring her vision. Every negative feeling she had welled up inside her had just been blurted out in front of her Biology teacher, and she quickly looked away, embarrassed. Konami sighed.

"I can tell you're having a hard time adjusting," she finally said, locking eyes with Jessica. "It's hard for everyone, their first time. You're no better or worse than Daniel, Bridgette, or anyone else in the Freshman class."

"But I'm just so useless!" Jessica cried, sitting down glumly on the edge of her chair. "Sean's this super insane genius, Matt's the sly-talking wise guy, Vash is an _incredible_ fighter, and Daniel's always willing to help out. What's worse is that he always knows just how to do it!" Jessica sighed even harder, blinking back tears.

"Even Bridgette is unique and interesting… I'm just… in the way," she muttered bitterly. She snapped her gaze up to meet Konami's. "What can I bring to the table? What _good_ am I?!"

"That's a question I can't answer, Jessica," Konami replied. "Back in Tokyo, back when it was just the ten of us, we were a real mess sometimes. Ame didn't really know what she was doing, Murasaki was always somewhere in la-la land, we couldn't keep Mika from beating up all the rude customers, and Jason wasn't too much help sometimes; cracking bad, raunchy jokes all the time. But we were, and still are, a team. Jason and Ame are two of the best fighters we have, Murasaki's a brilliant strategist, and Mika's always knows what to say to keep things going."

"What I'm trying to say, Jess," Konami continued. "Is that just because Daniel's a leader, or Vash and Matt can fight, doesn't make you any less important. Sooner or later, you'll find that you have your own part to play. Everyone has their own story, Jess. And when those stories intertwine, they create something incredible."

As if timed, a chime rang out through the empty room. Konami reached into her bag, lying against the chair, and held a small golden pendant to her ear.

"Looks like Daniel's story's gonna continue. He just woke up."

It was as if someone lit a firecracker underneath Jessica. She pulled on her flip flops without a second thought, and dashed towards the stairs, not even bothering to change. She ran up the hill from the gym towards the Student Center, oblivious to everything around her.

Jessica bolted up four flights of stairs, and literally slid down the hall towards Daniel's room. She caught herself on the doorframe of the room, managing to keep herself upright.

"Jess?!"

Looking up, to her utter relief, Jessica saw Daniel, sitting up on several pillows in his bed, looking worn and exhausted, but awake and well. She could see Bridgette and the guys around his bed. Jessica breathed a loud sigh of relief as she crossed to Daniel, and hugged him hard.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, _OW!_" Daniel gasped, and she quickly let go of him, jumping back, pink-faced. "My arm's killing me, Jess! Don't squeeze so hard."

"Sorry, Dan," she replied, pulling a wet strand of hair away from her face, hardly able to fight the wide, elated smile that was spreading across her cheeks.

"I was just worried about you."

* * *

A cute little chapter, to say the least. More props out to Cherrie, my badass beta, for all the hard work she's done.

ALSO, at this point, no one's allowed to guess what IT is anymore. It'll be up by the end of the summer people, so chill out.


	11. Chapter 11

Everything was dark. Daniel could barely see the hand in front of his face.

Then, out of nowhere, a blinding light filled his vision, while a sound, like a blaring truck horn, deafened him. A loud 'bang' ended both the light and the horn, and he found himself alone again. However, a small sound crept towards him. A soft crying, as if someone was in pain.

"Hello?" Daniel called out.

"Otto-san, okaa-san."

Those words, 'father' and 'mother' in Japanese, rang familiar in his ears.

"Hello?!" he called out again, as he found himself running towards the sound.

"Otto-san, okka-san... Gomenasai."

The crying was growing louder. Daniel found himself running flat out towards the sound.

"_GOMENASAI!"_

()()()

As if carried by his own momentum, Daniel sat straight up in his hospital bed, panting hard. He gripped the sides of the bed he was sleeping in, trying to calm his trembling hands. Normally, Daniel didn't put too much faith in dreams, but that one had scared him in a way no horror movie could.

Movement beneath the covers drew his attention, and he withdrew his companion, Hawkeye from underneath.

"I'm alright, Hawk," he whispered, hugging the small puppy against his chest, as he leaned back against the bed. "For now, at least."

The dream didn't return, but fragmented thoughts of it continued to float back to him. What had happened in, what he assumed was a car crash; who was that who was crying, and why was she apologizing to her parents?

()()()

The Thursday after he regained consciousness was possibly the most mind-crushingly dull day Daniel ever had in his short life.

It started out with Mika, the school nurse, fussing over his injuries, taking his temperature, and not letting him leave.

"You were unconscious for five days, Daniel-kun," she scolded, shoving the thermometer into his mouth. "You're not leaving that bed until _I _say you're good and ready."

The worst part came when she was microwaving a gel pad for his still-swollen ankle.

"I don't need a heat pack, Mika, my foot doesn't hurt," Daniel insisted, as Mika knelt down at the foot of his bed.

"I'll be the judge of that," she replied, turning back the sheets. Lying on top of Daniel's bandaged ankle was the small form of Hawkeye, curled up in a ball; an impromptu heating pad. Daniel groaned inwardly, as Mika removed the offending canine from his foot, replacing it with the 'regulation' gel pack.

"Kisshu!" Mika shouted, holding the puppy at arm's length.

With a ripple in the air, the green-haired Cyniclon appeared, grabbing Mika around the waist, and drawing her closer to his body.

"And what does my koneko-chan need?" he asked, nipping her neck. Mika was obviously trying to control herself, but seemed to be fighting a losing battle.

"Not now Kissh-UUU!" she squealed, as he started fondling her backside. With extreme effort, Mika pushed herself away from the offending alien, and thrust Hawkeye into his hands. "_Please_ take that dog down to Jason. I won't have him in my ward."

With a defeated sigh, Kisshu teleported himself, and Hawkeye out of the room, his lust defeated by Mika's iron-will.

"Oh, don't look at me like that Daniel-kun!" Mika sighed, noticing the glaring look Daniel was shooting her. "I'm doing what's best for your recovery, you know that."

Daniel didn't reply, merely turning over, as if to fall back asleep.

"Now sit up and take off your shirt," Mika ordered. "It's time for your sponge bath."

()()()

After an extremely embarrassing 'bath', Mika went off to do God knows what, and Daniel was left to his own devices. Unfortunately, these devices were limited to the completion of his English, Math and Bio homework. His teachers had been lenient about him handing it in late, but they _insisted_ it was handed in. And his teachers were _very _persuasive.

He'd long ago laid aside his math work, when a loud knock caught his attention.

"It's open," he called out, permitting whoever was knocking. The persons in question were Ryou Shirogane and Pai, both now familiar faces to him.

"Morning Shiro-baka." Daniel replied calmly. If the nickname had any affect on the blond man, he didn't let it show on his face.

"I am glad to see you are finally awake, Daniel," Pai greeted, for both himself and Ryou.

"Glad someone is," Daniel sighed, as Ryou knelt to examine him.

"There doesn't seem to be any lasting physical damage," Ryou announced, shining a pen light in Daniel's eye. He tore away from Ryou's grip, as he moved to his bandaged arm.

"A slight infection, nothing some antibiotics can't fix."

"Is there a reason why you two are invading my study time?" Daniel sniped. Ryou had a tendency to rub Daniel the wrong way, especially when he was being 'Mr. Smarty Pants.'

"Well, Chibi-Jason," Ryou smirked, as a horrified look passed over Daniel's features. "We came here to see if you have any intel about what attacked you Saturday night."

"What Ryou-san means to say," Pai interrupted, having a slightly better bedside manner. "Is whether or not you remember anything that might help in our investigation."

Daniel shuddered slightly, remembering the trauma of that stormy night.

"I don't know what that was, Ryou," he replied, his voice a mere whisper. "Something tried to kill me, that's all I know for sure." Ryou and Pai looked at each other, unsure of what to say.

"Daniel," Ryou continued. "Just answer one question. The thing that attacked you... did it look _canine_?"

Daniel closed his eyes, his fingers a spastic mess.

"It looked like a werewolf," he replied flatly. That was the most information the two of them would get from the frightened teenager.

"Get some rest, then," Ryou finally told him. "Everyone back in Tokyo was scared stiff when they heard you were attacked."

"Really?" Daniel asked, perking up instantly.

"Yeah, in fact, Pudding-san said 'If anyone hurt my Daniel-kun, I'll get Taru-Taru to teleport me over there, and beat him up!'" Daniel laughed out loud.

"That's Pudding for you," Daniel chuckled, his fear gone. "Always ready for action." Ryou smirked one last time.

"You get some rest yourself, or I'll have Pudding get over here and _personally_ run you until you pass out."

Daniel clamped his mouth shut, as the blond genius and the Cyniclon historian left the ward, closing the door behind them.

()()()

Daniel's next visitors didn't bother with knocking. Matt, Vash and Sean stormed the door down, followed closely by Bridgette and Jessica.

"_Dude!_" Matt exclaimed, throwing himself down onto the bed next to him.

"You feeling alright?" Sean asked, as he and the others pulled up some chairs around Daniel's bed.

"My arm itches, and the foot's a pain, but I'm good."

"So the evil cat lady won't let you out of here yet?" Vash asked, his head resting in his enormous hands.

"Not 'til she gives me a clean bill of health," Daniel replied. He momentarily made eye contact with Jessica, only to break away immediately. A bright red blush spread around his face. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Jessica sporting similarly-hued cheeks. Her emotional entrance yesterday stuck out in Daniel's mind, sending his stomach churning in various ways when he thought about it.

"So you think you'll be out of here by the weekend?" she asked, staring determinedly out the window.

"Hopefully, unless Mika needs to perform a CAT scan on me," Jessica giggled slightly at the joke, much to Daniel's embarrassment and curiosity. However, Matt seemed to catch onto her straight away.

"Hey girls, why don't you two go grab Daniel some food?" He suggested, pushing them towards the door.

"I just ate," Daniel announced, watching Bridgette trying to dig her heels into the linoleum floor as Matt pushed her towards the door.

"We need to have a guy-talk, so _scram_!" he snapped, slamming the door behind them.

"What was that for?" Sean demanded.

"Don't tell me you didn't notice," Matt scoffed. "Jessica's diggin' on him!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Daniel asked, while Vash nodded in agreement.

"It means she's got a crush on you, Dan," Sean answered, translating into the vernacular for the confused teen.

"Why'd she do that?" Daniel asked, outright confused. Sean sighed, Vash smacked his palm to his forehead, and Matt smashed his head against the wall.

"Jesus man!" Matt shouted. "How dense can you _be_! As soon as you get the chance man, hold her down and tap that–!"

Vash and Sean instantly began beating him over the head, Matt swearing like a sailor.

"First good idea," Sean began, abandoning Matt to Vash. "_Don't_ listen to the Mexican."

"I'm Puerto Rican!" Matt shouted, fending off Vash's blows.

"Second good idea…" However, he too, was cut off, by new visitors.

"Daniel?" a familiar, feminine voice asked. Standing at the door were five people, three of whom were familiar to the four boys.

"You guys are from the Ranger Squad!" Daniel exclaimed. Bo, Jackie and William stepped forward, followed by two unfamiliar girls. They both appeared to be seniors. One was a tall, black girl, sort of a female version of Vash. The other, was a shorter, heftier girl, with black-tipped red hair and crystal-clear, blue eyes.

"Greetings, fair sah!" William greeted, bounding up to Daniel's sickbed. "I don't believe we've been formerly introduced. William Richards, at your service. I believe you already know Bo and Jackie." Bo waved a lazy hello, while Jackie seemed to shrink behind him, twittering her fingers in a nervous greeting.

"Chin up, old gal," William sighed. "And this is Ms. Teonya Millings, and Ms. Jamie Fords." Teonya pounded Daniel and Vash**'s ****fists**, while Jamie nodded silently.

"If you guys are looking for info, Ryou's got all I'm giving," Daniel said immediately

"We just need a conformation on something, Teonya told him, as Jamie pulled out a sketchpad from her bag. "The research we compiled helped give us this image. We just need you to confirm it." With that, she turned the pad around.

The image on the pad was enough to send shivers down everyone's spines. It was unlike anything they'd ever seen before. Except Daniel. He, in turn, shuddered and turned away, unable to look at it.

"That's it," he replied mournfully. "That's what attacked me."

No one dared say anything. There was nothing _to _say. The picture was of a massive, dog-like creature, with jet-black fur, a canine-like snout, and long, sharp, dripping teeth.

"The only thing you're missing are the red eyes," Daniel told them, his voice shaking.

"Better put it away, Jamie," Jackie told her artistic teammate.

"I can see why you ran," William said. "That's an un-Godly creature. Never seen anything like it in my life."

"Could it be a Devil-class?" Teonya asked, taking the picture from Jamie.

"DNA analysis confirmed it _wasn't_ a Chimera Anima," Bo replied, shooting down the black girl's theory.

"The hell's a Devil-class?" Matt demanded.

"Devil-class? It's a Chimera Anima that's taken control of more than one animal. Came from the Jersey Devil, first Chimera Anima recorded," Jamie told them.

"Um," Jessica's voice came in from the open ward door, "are we interrupting anything?"

Everyone turned towards the two foreign girls as they carried in several trays of food. Jessica handed one of them to Daniel and sat down, her own tray of food on her lap. Daniel thanked her, trying to avoid making eye-contact with the Aussie.

"So if it's not a Chimera Anima, what the hell is it?" Sean asked, arms folded across his chest.

"Looks to me like a Rogue," Jamie told them, her voice flat and emotionless.

It felt as if the room's temperature fell a few degrees.

"A... what?" Bridgette asked nervously.

"A Rogue is a creature whose DNA has been permanently altered," Jamie told them, folding up the drawing. "Soon after the Mew Wars, many arms dealers tried creating their own Bio-weapons from Chimera Anima DNA. It didn't work."

"Mew forces were tied up for _months_ trying to deal with all the reports," Bo added mournfully.

"So Daniel was attacked by a _freak military experiment_?" Jessica shouted, louder than she intended.

"We don't know," Bo replied, as he made his way towards the door. "I'm gonna go find Dr. Shirogane. I need to talk with him."

He slammed the door loudly behind him, and Jackie collapsed into a chair, her face emotionally distraught.

"I'm _so _sorry, Daniel!" she sobbed. "This was all my fault."

"It wasn't your fault I was attacked," Daniel replied, startled by the older girl's emotional outburst. "I... I was too hot-blooded. I shoulda thought straighter."

"'Sides, Jackie," Teonya began, thumping her on the shoulder. "Tanith ain't the perfect little princess, either."

"Why's that?" Sean asked, suddenly interested. Teonya and William both smiled.

"Last year, like every year, a bunch of Cyniclon students came over from Tokyo."

"Cyniclons?" everyone, except Daniel, gasped.

"Yeah, and Tanith got into this _huge_ fight with one of them. Can't remember her name, but _damn _was that girl pissed!"

"They both received detention for weeks after that mess," William added, chuckling slightly.

William's laughter seemed contagious, and soon, everyone was swapping humorous stories. It lightened the mood significantly, a stark contrast to the terror that had gripped their hearts only moments before.

* * *

Everyone

Due to circumstances beyond my control, this story is going on an indefinate hiatus. Don't seek to blame anyone. I can't go into details, but know that i'm gonna do everything i can to remedy the situation.

Wish me luck


	12. Chapter 12

*plays the ending to the 1812 Overturne*

I'M BACK! That's right folks, the time has come for the fun to continue. I hope you didn't miss me that much.

Now, for my attentive readers out there, you might notice that THIS update co-responds quite nicely to the update to ANOTHER TMM story. DO we know what that story is? DO we know WHY? Why am I still bothering with this omake.

LETS ROCK THIS JOINT!

* * *

Daniel was back amongst his friends by Saturday, finally released from Medical with much prompting from Kisshu. Apparently Daniel's presence in the recovery ward was throwing off Mika's 'performance'. Thankfully, no-one hung around long enough for Kisshu to expand on the topic.

September passed quickly for the six of them. Despite the fact that they had minimal classes, they always seemed to have homework to do. However, that wasn't all they did. The boys were quick to introduce the girls to some 'street games' they'd played back on the deserted avenues of their home city. Bridgette seemed to get the hang of stickball fairly quickly, much to their surprise.

They didn't talk about what happened that Saturday night. From that moment on, Daniel became extremely uncomfortable being outside alone at night. Though, he never went out by himself. Matt and Vash always seemed to accompany him after the sun went down, and Jessica always wanted to know where he was if he wasn't in his room.

Soon, the brisk touch of October met the grounds. The forest around the campus began changing; the ocean of green succumbing to the march of time, changing into a gorgeous rainbow of autumn colors. The days seemed to get shorter, as the orb of the sun fled much faster beneath the horizon with each day.

Somehow – by hook or by crook – the six teenagers bonded into the fiercest of friends. Rarely were any of them found alone; even then, it wasn't for long. Within a matter of weeks they had memorized each other's life stories, siblings, hometown friends, and favorite foods. However, none of them noticed the pleasant, almost approving looks the teachers gave them whenever they entered or exited a room as a group. There was however, one problem with their perfect group dynamics. Or should it be said: _one_ problem with _two_ causes.

Matt and Sean were possibly the most argumentative of the six friends. Be it eating habits, homework, politics or religion, they never seemed to run out of topics to 'debate' about. And their 'debates' often included yelling loudly at each other, frequently followed by one insulting the other's mother, which was _then_ followed by the other chasing the first around campus for a few hours until they both collapsed in a sweaty heap. This however, came to a head a few days into the second week of October.

Matt, Sean, and – surprisingly – Bridgette, stood ram-rod straight, looks of guilt, innocence, and confusion respectively etched onto their features. On the other side of the massive desk sat Yubari-sensei, with The Captain standing beside her.

"So, let me get this straight," Yubari-sensei began, trying to put the sequence of events into logical order. "You–" She pointed to Matt "–snuck into the computer mainframe in an attempt to delete the records of all the tests for this month."

He didn't reply; his smug look broadcasted everything.

"You–" She pointed to Sean "–find him there, and proceed to _fight_ him in an attempt to stop him." Sean tried to open his mouth to protest, but her icy glare stopped any words cold.

"And_ you_–" She finished, pointing to Bridgette "–wandered inside, tried to break them up, and, in the process, cracked one of the servers."

The three of them nodded, miserable. Yubari-sensei clapped her hands together and sighed.

"Two of them are your minions, Jason," she said, spinning in her chair to face the male teacher. "What'chya wanna do with them?"

The grin Jason gave the three of them would have cracked a block of ice.

"I've got a little team building exercise, and I think it'll suit these three just fine."

Yubari-sensei nodded in agreement.

"Dismissed," she barked, sending the three of them scuttling.

"You just _had_ to not study," Sean snapped, as soon as they left Yubari-sensei's office.

"_Me_!" Matt shouted, shoving Sean's shoulder. "I had everything under control until _you _shoved your damn face into my business!"

"Please!" Bridgette cried, trying to get in between the two combatants. A wayward arm pushed her away, and she fell on the floor. This snapped the two of them out of it, as they realized what had happened.

"The two of you are a couple of dumbasses, ya know that!" Jessica came storming down the hall, grabbed their heads, and crashed them both together.

"Couldn't have put it any better myself." Vash was helping Bridgette to her feet, while Daniel stood in front of the pair, Hawkeye in his arms.

"You were both in the wrong, and now you've dragged Bridgette into your little shenanigans."

"Eet eez my fault," Bridgette announced, after thanking Vash for his help. "Per'aps I should not `ave investigated zee open door..."

"That's not the point here, Bridg," Jessica sighed. "The point is that you three are in some _major _trouble, and there's no telling what Mr. Washington's gonna do to you."

"He said something about a 'team building exercise,'" Matt announced.

"Well that's something you three need _desperately_," Vash replied, leading the six of them out of the Humanities Building.

"Daniel, you know the most about The Captain," Jessica said presently, as they left the building. They all buttoned up their jackets and sweaters against the brisk October wind on their way up the sloping drive to the Student Center. "What do you think he has in mind?"

Daniel was silent as they focused on making their way into the shelter of the building.

"Well," he began, once they were safely out of the chill. He removed his Flat Cap. "Jason's always been a 'hands on' kind of person. He never likes dilly-dallying with theories and stuff like that. His business is getting down and dirty."

"I can see why he's a gym teacher," Sean remarked.

"'ow do you know so much about Zee Captain?" Bridgette asked him, as she unwound a cashmere scarf from her neck. Daniel's frame went rigid for a split second reflexively..

"And why's he called 'The Captain,' anyway?" Jessica asked, equally confused.

"That was his rank in the Marines."

The five of them froze.

"Jason Washington was in the _Marines_?" Vash exclaimed, causing several passing seniors to look at him in alarm.

"Not _officially_," Daniel admitted, as they made their way into the Cafeteria. "He and the other Mews were granted 'Rank equal to a Captain in the United States Marine Corps.' during the Mew wars."

"Why'd they do that?" Matt asked, fascinated at the story.

"I don't know the exact story," Daniel confessed, as they made their way down the food line. "But after the Battle of Shanghai, the President acknowledged the need for the Mews to work with the Armed Forces. I guess it was to simplify everything."

"So when we become real Mews," Jessica said slowly, connecting the dots. "We become members of the Marine Corps? I'm not even a American citizen!" A stunned silence fell on the six friends.

"I'm not entirely sure Jess," Daniel told her, as they sat down in their usual booth. "I don't _think _so, but I'm not a hundred percent sure."

The six friends looked at each other nervously. They began eating as a way to keep the awkward topic from being brought up again Slowly, the atmosphere changed, as they began talking about 'The Captain's' most recent gym class.

"I'm never playing flag football again," Jessica declared in a moan, rubbing her head.

"Ya know, girls," Daniel began, twirling his spaghetti around on his fork. "We really need to get down to the gym sometime soon. We haven't started your rock climbing sessions."

"Those'll have to wait." Looking up, they saw Washington standing over them, a relatively calm look on his face. Sean, Matt and Bridgette tried not to make eye contact with him. They assumed what he was here for.

They weren't wrong.

"You three have been excused from classes for the rest of the week," he told them, much to their surprise.

"The hell?" Matt asked, vocalizing everyone's confusion.

"Instead, I'd advise you spend tomorrow sleeping. _All day_," he stressed, locking eyes with the three troublemakers. He continued before anyone could question him further.

"Tomorrow afternoon, you three are to meet me in my office in the Hums building, with enough clothes packed to last you 'til Friday night." Their confusion only increased. Even Hawkeye looked up at the brown haired teacher, confusion etched onto his cute face.

"I'm giving a lecture in Tokyo, Thursday morning," he announced. "And you three are accompanying me."

"Excuse me, sir," Sean began, shaking his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "But you said we were doing a 'team building exercise'."

"That's what it is," Jason replied cheerfully. "Just trust me when I say you three are gonna need _all_ the help you can get." With that, he stole a handful of fries from Vash's plate and strode off.

"We're going to _Tokyo_!" Matt exclaimed, looking both excited and nervous.

"I can see why eet would be a 'team building exercize'," Bridgette announced, looking down right morbid. "We will need each ozzer to survive."

"You're really nervous," Jessica realized, slipping an arm around Bridgette's shoulders.

"Eet took me zhree months to learn Eengleesh. I cannot speak a _single word_ of Japaneez." Jessica glanced at her best friend, then leaned over and grabbed Matt and Sean by their shirt collars, dragging them down onto the table, right up close to her threatening face.

"You two listen good!" she hissed between clenched teeth. "If you let _anything_ happen to her, you'd better dig your own graves!"

()()()

Wednesday afternoon found the four boys in their room, watching Matt and Sean packed their necessities into their knapsacks.

"I guess as long as you two stick close to The Captain, you shouldn't have a problem," Daniel told them, as Sean swung his bag onto his shoulders.

"I've got a really bad feeling about this," he sighed, as Vash handed him a small, wrapped package.

"In case you two get hungry," he explained with a smile. Before either of them could say anything in response, three loud knocks drew their attention to the door. It was Washington, leaning against the frame.

"Time's a-wastin', boys. Our ride should already be here."

"Ganbatte! Jaa, mata ashita!" Daniel shouted out after his two roommates. Sean blinked and spun back around.

"_You can speak Japanese_!" he shouted, half in fury, half in astonishment.

()()()

After collecting Bridgette, the four of them – one teacher, and three students – made their way across the campus. Dark was already drawing in to claim the grounds; the last tendrils of light peaked across the sky.

"Hurry up you two, we don't wanna keep them waiting!" Washington shouted, spurring the three of them along. They didn't say anything until they entered Washington's office. There were three people inside. Two of them had sharp, pointed ears.

"Hey Chrissie!" Washington greeted the woman. She wore a dark blue business skirt, adorned with a simple, gold butterfly pendant. "Everyone, this is Ms. Chrissie, the **Deputy Dean** of the Mew Institute."

"Where's the Head Dean?" Matt asked. Ms. Chrissie smiled at him.

"He prefers to keep a low profile."

"Kisshu! Pai! Glad you could be here."

Bridgette jumped in surprise when she noticed the two men – or Cyniclons – standing next to her.

"Pai will be covering for me tomorrow. We like to rotate teachers around every now and then," Washington announced.

"You had best get going," Pai announced, looking at his watch. "First Period begins shortly."

"Alright," Kisshu announced, holding out his hands. "Everyone grab on."

With nervous looks the three students joined hands with the Cyniclon. Washington joined them, too, linking himself with Matt and Kisshu.

"Let's light this candle!" he shouted.

Kisshu grinned, and promptly teleported.

It was as if the floor had dropped out from underneath them. Their vision swirled and mixed together; their insides feeling like they'd taken a massive plunge on a roller coaster. Finally, after some momentary discomfort, they landed again. Bridgette and Washington remained on their feet, while Matt staggered a little. Sean seemed the hardest hit, falling to one knee, his hand clutching his brow. A few moments later, he was back on his feet, none too worse for the wear.

It was then that they realized what had happened. Washington's office was gone, replaced now by a long, blue tiled hallway with doors on both sides of the cream-colored walls.

"Where are we?" Sean asked, astonished.

"The Tokyo Mew Academy," Washington announced, as he made his way down the hall.

"Kinda small if you ask me," Matt remarked.

"This is only the faculty's quarters," their teacher replied, coming to a stop at the door at the end of the hall. "Things operate on a different kilter here."

With no warning, Washington began kicking the door with his massive boots. "Oi, blondie, get your ass outta bed!"

The commotion seemed to have a different response. The other doors on the hall opened up, and out came several teachers. One of them was a small, blonde woman, dressed in what looked like a bright blue Chinese-style dress. She caught sight of Washington and _leapt_ over the three fascinated students to latch herself onto his shoulders. She started babbling in enthusiastic, _rapid_ Japanese, which Washington seemed to be able to follow quite well.

More people appeared; they all seemed to know him. He was promptly swamped by at least half a dozen teachers, all speaking in rapid Japanese.

"This is making my head hurt," Matt sighed, clutching his head in mock pain. Suddenly, the blonde woman unattached herself from Washington's shoulders, and stared face-to-face at Matt. He recoiled in surprise as the woman smiled, and started bouncing around the three startled students. Finally, Washington switched language gears.

"These three are my students, who _are in trouble_!" he emphasized.

"Well I can't _abide_ troublemakers," one of the women sighed. "However, one must be a gracious hostess." She bowed formally at the waist.

"Welcome to Mew Academy. I am Aizawa-sensei. I believe you have already met Fong-sensei." The blonde-haired woman cheered at the mention of her name.

"You sure took your time getting here, Jason."

"You sure took your time waking up, baka," Washington replied. Standing at the door he had so very recently kicked was a tall, blonde man, wearing a white business suit, his hands in his pockets. The three students instantly recognized him.

"You're Dr. Shirogane!" Bridgette gasped. He smiled, obviously approving her deduction.

"Then that means…" Sean began, his brain forming the answer in his mind. His eyes widened in shock. "You guys are the _original _Tokyo Mew Mew!"

"_What the hell_!" Matt shouted in surprise, eyes darting from teacher to teacher in disbelief.

"Well, I guess the game's up," Washington sighed. "Momomiya-sensei, Aizawa-sensei, Fong-sensei, Midorikawa-sensei, and–" Washington stopped abruptly, turning accusingly to Dr. Shirogane.

"She's getting her class started," Ryou explained. "She prefers to go early."

"Well what the hell are we waiting for?" Washington shouted, taking off down the hall towards the elevator.

"Wait for us!" Matt shouted, as he, Sean and Bridgette ran after him, nipping into the elevator at the last second.

"So what kind of lecture are you giving today?" Sean asked. He didn't reply, or make any motion that he'd even heard him.

They arrived at their floor, the elevator opening up into a long hallway. Washington took off, hell-bent on arriving at his destination, whatever that was. His three students struggled to keep up.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a series of bell chimes rang out, obviously signaling the beginning of the period. The three of them were instantly swamped by at least a hundred Japanese students who appeared from all directions, all wearing the same jet-black vest and pink button-down Oxford shirt. The girls had on pink-plaid skirts, while the boys wore black dress pants.

"Jesus Christ!" Matt shouted, grabbing onto Sean and Bridgette's shoulders, so as not to lose them in the crowd. The hallway was suddenly roaring with chattering voices.

As quickly as the students appeared, they vanished, scurrying off towards their morning classes. The three friends stood in the deserted hallway, confused as to what had happened.

"The hell was that?" Matt asked, overwhelmed, as he patted down his pockets, making sure everything was still there.

"Students?" Bridgette replied, the statement being half a question, half an answer.

"Guys…" Sean began, fear and panic creeping into his voice. "Where'd Professor Washington go?"

The trio looked around in a blind panic. To their utter horror, there was no sign of their teacher anywhere.

They were alone.

Bridgette began trembling, nervously looking around the now deserted corridor.

"What will we do now?" She asked, fear entrenched in her voice.

"I don't know, I don't know." Sean replied. He was not used to being flung into situations like this. It was _well_ beyond his sense of security.

"Take it easy man," Matt told them, coolly. "We'll be just fine."

"What makes you say that?" Sean asked, turning back to his friend.

"Because we're in a school. Not just any school, but a school, devoted to Mews, which we are. And from those teacher's reactions to The Captain, I think he's well known here."

"So, what does zat mean?" Bridgette asked.

"Means we're still in friendly turf. There's gotta be a reception desk or something around here."

"You're forgetting one thing Matt," Sean replied. "None of us speak Japanese."

"So, we just need to find a teacher or something. Don't they teach English at Japanese schools?"

"I suppose." Sean replied.

"So we just need to find the English teacher or something." Sean blinked, astounded at how simple the solution was.

"But, are we sure?" Matt shrugged.

"The hell should I know," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a coin. "Either of you two have an idea on which way to go?" He asked.

Both Sean and Bridgette shook their heads. Matt shrugged.

"Alright, heads we go left, tails we go right." He shouted, before tossing the coin in the air. It landed with a small tinkle, before rolling off down the corridor. Bridgette ran off after it, turning a corner to follow the twenty-five cent piece. A loud exclamation drew the boys' attention to her.

"What's wrong?" Sean asked, rounding the corner. To their surprise, Bridgette was lying on the ground next to a young Japanese girl. It was obvious that the two girls had collided with each other.

"I thought class just started?" Matt inquired, as the new girl began to stand back up.

"_You_ are asking why someone is late to class?" Sean asked, sighing dramatically.

"Now don't start _that_ again!" Matt replied, turning to his friends.

"Matt, Sean." Bridgette called out, now on her feet.

To their surprise, three other girls joined, bringing the total up to four Japanese girls standing in the hallway, ogling the three of them like a floor show. They began to whisper among themselves, the hushed voices not necessary.

"Hello?" One of them greeted, her English slow and painfully accented.

"Do you speak English?" Sean tried. "Do you know Mr. Jason Washington? We are his students, we are looking for him."

To their disappointment, the girl blanched, throwing her arms up in defense of their questions.

"No…spea-ku" She confessed.

"Aw shit." Matt swore, palming his forehead. "Well that was useless." He sighed, before turning around.

"Yeah, I think we're wasting our time." Sean agreed, turning to join Matt.

As the three students turned back down the hall, they heard the four Japanese school girls talk in rapid Japanese. They mostly ignored them, until one of them called out in comprehensible English,

"Ex-cuse me!" The first girl shouted, grabbing their attention.

"We will… help you… find English speaker. Come now."

"Praise God!" Matt shouted, punching the air. Sean released a breath he did not realize he was holding. He turned, and saw Bridgette walk up to the girl and took her hands.

"A-ri-ga-toe." She replied, a horrendous blend of her thick French accent and her English dialect. To their surprise, the other girls descended into fits of giggles.

"What was that?" Sean asked. Bridgette blushed.

"Jessica 'ad a Japanese phrasebook. That was "Thank you." I zink."

"My name Sazuki." The girl told them. Bridgette nodded, continuing the introductions.

"I am Bridgette." The boys saw the girls attempt to pronounce her thickly accented name, much to Matt's amusement. One of the girls behind Sazuki caught their attention.

"Sachi," she told them, pointing to herself.

"Kiseki." She added, pointing to the girl next to her.

Sazuki muttered something to her friends in Japanese, before placing her hand on the fourth girl. "This is Akane."

Matt chuckled to himself a bit. "Matt," he told them, pointing his thumb at himself. "Sean." There was a slight pause, while one of the girls, Sachi, rolled Matt, Sean and Bridgette's names around her tongue. With an exasperated sigh, the first girl, Sazuki, turned to back to them.

"Come now." She told them, her voice sounding much more urgent this time. "We are, we are…_late_!"

"Now that I can understand." Matt replied, as the school girls motioned for them to follow.

"Well, that certainly solved our problems." Sean added, chuckling to himself. Bridgette paused for a moment, picking up the quarter that had led her to meeting these four girls. She handed it back to Matt.

"I zink it ezz lucky." She told him.

"We'll just see about that." Sean replied, as they followed their new guides into the belly of Mew Academy.

* * *

Did ya see it? Did you notice?

If you didn't I'll spell it out for you.

THIS STORY IS NOW OFFICIALLY CROSSED OVER WITH CHERRIE-SAKURA'S MEW ACADEMY!

YESH everyone, this one was MONTHS in the making. And those were the 'extenuating circumstances'. Since Cherrie didn't update, I couldn't. But now that that's all settled, we can get back to the fun.

And just remember, if we can pull THIS off, just imagine the chaos we can come up with.


End file.
